Peridot Vs The World
by ZendoZebra
Summary: As it turns out, Earth holds far more secrets than once believed, and it seems Peridot knows far more about them than even the Crystal Gems! Watch as her attempts at understanding Earth culture slowly unearths secrets that predate Homeworld itself. Sporadic Updates. Cover Image courtesy of Kysplosion. HIATUS HAS ENDED!
1. The Arcade

The Arcade

"Where have you taken me?" Peridot asked Steven, staring at the building in front of here.

"It's the Beach City Arcade!" The boy answered.

"Arcade?" She asked, turning to look at him. "What is an 'Arcade'?"

"The Arcade is only the funnest place ever!" Steven said, excitement written all over his face. "Come on!" He continued, grabbing Peridot's hand and dragging her into the building.

Once inside, the technician found herself surrounded by flashing colors and upbeat music. Looking around, she was too focused on the machines in the room to stop a small smile from working its way onto her features.

"What do you wanna play first?" Steven question brought Peridot out of her trance. Thinking about his question, she found herself overwhelmed, not knowing what to do.

"I-I-uh... W-Why doesn't the Steven decide?" She responded, mentally kicking herself for stuttering.

Giving a small cheer, Steven looked around for a moment before saying, "Oh! I know the perfect game!"

He led the green Gem towards the rear of the arcade, into the realm of the retro games. Peridot looked around, noticing the differences between the quality, and voiced her observations.

"The games towards the front are newer, that's why they're more advanced." Steven explained.

"If they are better, than why do we not play them?"

"Well, just because they're more advanced, doesn't mean that they're better. Some of the older games are the best games ever made."

Finally, they stopped in front of a game cabinet, where Steven turned to her, almost shaking in excitement.

"Tada!" The boy said with a flourish. "The Beach City Arcade and Steven Universe presents to you: Galaga!"

Peridot looked at the 8-bit graphics displayed on the screen. Turning to Steven, she said, "How is this meant to impress me?"

"Aww, come on, Peridot. At least give it a try."

"Very well." She sighed. She stepped forward and placed her hands on the controls. After Steven explained the controls, he inserted one of those decorative metal disks- a quarter, she remembered what he called them- into the machine, and the game began.

And ended within 10 seconds.

Peridot stared at the large, flashing letters that spelled GAME OVER. She stared at the screen as the game taunted her, mocking her skills and her intelligence.

"Ah! You stupid, meaningless, pile of junk!" Peridot yelled at the machine in frustration.

"It's okay, Peridot." Steven said, holding out another quarter, "You can just try again."

This time, Peridot snatched the quarter from his hand, determined not to be defeated again by the game.

And so, the process continued, the time between each defeat gradually growing larger. In time, a small crowd began to form around her, watching as the green woman began to master each level. Eventually, on the last life on her last game- the Steven having run out of quarters- she cleared level 10, causing the crowd around her to cheer.

After losing her last life halfway through level 11, the crowd cheered again, and then louder, after seeing that Peridot had beaten the high score.

An hour later, Steven and Peridot could be found back at the beach house, Peridot locking herself in the bathroom while she listened to the Steven talk on his communication device, animatedly retelling the days events to the human he calls "The Connie".

And, while Peridot would rather fight the Cluster single-handed with nothing but the Steven's cavity weapon, she found herself thinking that the trip to the arcade was actually... Pleasant.


	2. Dubstep

A/N I couldn't remember how old Sour Cream is, so I took a guess.

Dubstep

"Steven, I'm not really sure that this is a good idea." Pearl said to the boy, her voice laced with uncertainty.

"Please, Pearl? Tonight is Sour Cream's birthday, and he said that he only wants his closest friends." He pleaded.

"But inviting Connie, Sour Cream, Buck, and Jenny to have a party in the house, while Garnet, Amethyst, and I are out on a mission? I'm not really comfortable with this, especially not with Peridot still in our bathroom."

"Let him have a party, Pearl." Garnet said, appearing behind the two.

"But, Garnet-" Pearl tried.

"No buts." The fusion cut her off. "Steven has shown he's responsible enough to have a small party. And as for Peridot, Steven has proven that he's capable enough to watch her for one night."

"Really?" Steven asked, stars in his eyes.

"Yes." She confirmed. "But, I expect you to be on your best behavior. And make sure that Peridot doesn't cause any trouble."

"Thank you so much Garnet! I won't let you down, I promise." The magical boy said, running out the door to deliver his news.

"Let's go, Pearl." Garnet said, turning to the pale Gem, "Amethyst will start causing trouble if we make her wait any longer."

Two hours later, Sour Cream's 17th birthday was about to begin, with all of his closest friends helping him set up his laptop, synthesizer, and speakers.

"Alright, that should be everything, Sour Cream." Jenny said to him, "Let's get it started!"

"Wait!" Steven called, "There's something I need to do first!"

Steven ran down the hallway, stopping once he reached the bathroom. He knocked on the door, and said, "Peridot, can I come in? I want to talk to you about something."

He didn't hear a reply, but he did hear the door unlock. Taking that as a "Yes," he opened the door and entered the room, seeing the green Gem huddled in the corner between the bathtub and the wall.

"What do you want now, the Steven?" She asked.

"I wanted to know if you wanted to join the party?"

"Party?" She questioned, not knowing what that word meant.

"Yeah! I know how boring sitting in the bathroom all day can be, so I figured you can come out and meet my friends, listen to music, tell jokes and stories, and give presents!" He explained to the confused woman.

"That does not sound like fun." She said.

"You said the same thing about the arcade last week." Steven argued.

"And?"

"And, you had fun! You had fun at the arcade, and you know it!"

"So what if I had fun?" She glared at the boy.

"If you had fun at the arcade, then maybe you can have fun at the party."

Peridot didn't answer, causing Steven to sigh in defeat.

"Fine." He said, "Just remember that you can come out and join the party whenever you want." Having said this, he left the bathroom, leaving Peridot alone with her thoughts.

'Idiotic, pointless human rituals.' She thought bitterly, 'Why celebrate surviving another year on this miserable planet? It's not like human can live long enough to actually achieve something worth celebrating.'

'Maybe that's why they celebrate.' A soft voice responded. 'Maybe they understand that their lives are short, so they celebrate to enjoy the little time that they have.'

Peridot clutched her head, eyes closing in irritation, trying her best to ignore the voice and its constant arguments.

Ever since she returned from the arcade, that soft voice, that infuriatingly patient voice, was constantly attempting to persuade her to do anything the Steven suggests. But, while she still refused every offer that he gave, that voice was still trying to counter anything she said about the humans.

And yet, the worst part was that she couldn't shake the feeling that she's heard it before, very recently.

Before Peridot could think of a response to the voice, her thoughts were interrupted by loud, electronic sounds coming from the area that the Steven called, the "living room,"- something that confused the green Gem, seeing as the room didn't seem to be a living organism.

Unable to resist the temptation, she opened the door just enough to peek into the living room. There, she saw the Steven, the Connie, as well as three other humans that she has never seen before.

'What in Yellow Diamond's name are they doing?' Peridot wondered, watching as the group flailed their limbs around.

'Its called dancing, remember?' The soft voice answered. 'The Steven told us about it yesterday. He said it's how humans express pleasure when listening to music.'

She did remember. 'But what is that noise? That cannot be the music that the Steven talked about, it sounds different.'

'Steven said that all music is different. Some music is loud, and some is quiet. Some is fast, and some is slow.'

'He did say that.' Peridot agreed.

Suddenly, she noticed that the noise- no, the music- had stopped. She looked towards the humans and saw that they were looking back at her. The three unknown humans looked at her with confusion, the Connie with anxiety, and the Steven with, of course, excitement.

"Peridot!" The young Gem said, "You came out!"

"Uh... Y-Yes, I have. I was, umm... C-Curious as to the sounds of the... Music." She replied.

"Oh yeah!" Steven said, "I forgot that you still haven't heard dubstep yet."

"Yes, that is why I-uh... Wait, what?" She asked, never having heard the word "dubstep" before.

"The music we were dancing to, its called dubstep music. Sour Cream is best dubstep artist I know!"

"What does a consumable lactose-based substance have to do with music?" Peridot questioned, becoming more confused with every answer.

"No, Sour Cream is my name." Said one of the unknown humans.

Peridot turned to look at him, acknowledging his pale complexion and gangly figure.

"So, you are the Sour Cream." She said. At his confirmation, she continued with, "I request that you provide an... example, of this, so called dubstep."

"See, yeah!" The unknown female exclaimed, "Give us some beats, Sour Cream!"

The female bent down and put her arm around Peridot, pulling her close. "Hey, girl! I'm Jenny Pizza." She introduced, "You must be that Peridot girl Steven was telling us about?"

"I am Peridot, yes." The green Gem answered. She then turned to the last unknown human, the male wearing a visor. "And your designation?"

"My name's Buck Dewey." He replied in a soft, cool voice, "It's nice to meet you, Peridot."

This time, her response was cut off by the loud music coming from the speakers, being much louder than she had thought while in the bathroom. As she looked around, she saw all of the humans dancing, joyous looks on each of their faces.

'Look at them,' The soft voice spoke up. 'Look at how happy they are, regardless of work, regardless of responsibility, regardless of just how short their lives are, they are as happy as they can be.'

Peridot noticed this, but was interrupted, once again. This time, the Jenny Pizza suddenly took her hand and spun the Gem around, before guiding her through the simple of steps to a small dance. Peridot could feel something in her chest as she moved along with the Jenny Pizza, a feeling similar to how she felt that day at the arcade.

And she didn't know if she liked it or not.

After a few minutes, she found herself walking towards the Sour Cream, and watched as he danced along to the music he was making.

"How do you make this music?" She eventually asked, startling the pale boy.

"I use my buttons and dials." He answers, gesturing to the electronic setup he had been using before, "Wanna give it a try?"

"Hmm... Negative." She shakes her head.

"Come on, Peridot." The Steven said, "You're really smart when it comes to technology! I bet it's super easy for you."

"No, I-I don't really-"

'Yes you do, Peridot.' The soft voice interrupted, 'You want to know how to make such sounds, sounds that bring people together with such happiness.'

She didn't want to- she really didn't want to- but she had to admit that the voice was right. So, as the group of humans, having stopped dancing when Sour Cream stopped making the music, looked on with joy as they waited for her to answer, she closed her eyes, took a breath, and gave them what they wanted.

"Yes." She said, "I will make an attempt at creating this music."

"Woooo! You go girl!" The Jenny Pizza cheered, "Let's see what you can do, Dottie!"

Calming herself down, Peridot looked at the console in front of her, selected a button at random, and pressed it. As the smooth, synthetic tone began to die down, she pressed two more buttons, listening as the two sounds blended together. Pressing more and more buttons, she could feel that warm sensation in her chest again growing warmer as she added more and more to the pleasant sounds.

She suddenly remembers the dials that are also spread about the console. She turned one of them, and listened as the music became distorted, the highs becoming lows and vice versa. She marveled at the difference such a small action could cause as she continued, experimenting with different dials and buttons.

When she finished, she watched as the humans cheered for her, faces alight with joy and happiness and life.

The Steven walked to her and said, "See, Peridot? I told you that you would be great!" Words could not describe the amount of pride he felt for his green friend.

"Yes, well. That was... Very pleasant." She responded, before her eyes widened at the sound of her voice. "I-I, uh... I will return to the bathroom, now. Continue to have your 'party'." She continued nervously.

When she returned to the bathroom, she sat down in the same corner as before. Her thoughts, no matter how much she fought it, would always return to how her voice sounded when she answered the Steven.

It was the same soft, patient voice she'd been arguing with all week.


	3. The Almost-Daily Show

A/N To answer a review from a guest: No, the soft voice was not meant to be a split personality, and it wasn't Rose. It was meant to imply that Peridot, after having fun at the arcade, had a subconscious desire to experience new things and have fun. That's why, when she responds to Steven at the end of the chapter, she is speaking in that same voice, because it's the voice of Peridot when she is happy, instead of cynical.

The Almost-Daily Show

"... Central's World News Headquarters in New York, this is The Daily Show with Trevor Noah!"

Pearl sighed as she heard Steven's TV when she entered the house, carrying a bag of groceries.

'That forgetful boy,' She thought to herself, as she put away her purchases, 'I thought I told him to remember to turn off his television whenever he left the house.'

She climbed the steps to Steven's room, already thinking of what to say to the magical boy when he returned, but when she reached the top, she was greeted with-

"Peridot!?"

The green Gem jumped nearly 5 feet in the air as she was caught by Pearl. She turned to look at the pale Gem, her eyes wide with panic.

"What are you doing up here? Why isn't Steven watching you?" Pearl questioned the green woman, who fumbled with the remote to pause the show she was watching.

"I-I was-Just-The-Went to-uh..." Peridot stumbled over her words, trying to answer the pale Gem while she calmed down.

"I'll only ask you one more time: Where is Steven?" Pearl repeated, readying to summon her spear.

Taking a deep breath, Peridot finally answered with, "The Steven and the Connie left to obtain the items they designated, the 'donuts'. The Steven granted me permission to watch the TV while I awaited his return, so I am watching 'The Almost-Daily Show.'

"Oh, do you really think I'm going to fall for... Wait, 'Almost-Daily'?" Pearl's tone changed from accusing to confused at the title of the program.

"Affirmative." Peridot confirmed, nodding her head. "The program designates itself as 'The Daily Show'. However, the frequency in which new versions of the program are released is actually only four-sevenths of what it claims. The Steven said that 'Daily' is still appropriate on account of the frequency being 'Almost Daily'. I, however, refer to the program as the more accurately designated, 'Almost-Daily Show'."

Before Pearl could respond, they both heard the sound of Steven and Connie running up the steps to the house. The door burst open with a loud bang, followed by Connie frantically yelling, "Peridot! Wait, don't start the show without us! Wait, wait, wait! Wait for uuus!"

The last word the girl yelled was elongated as she reached Steven's room, ran to the bed, and jumped, landing on her stomach and on top of Peridot, both of them letting out an oomph at the impact.

The human girl giggled as Steven ran up to his room, a box of donuts in his arms as he laughed at the excitement of his friends. He stopped laughing when he saw the irritated expression on Pearl's face.

"We'll talk about this later." She said to him as she went to her room.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"I can't believe you were so irresponsible!" Pearl lectured the young boy, "I mean, what were you thinking? Just, LEAVING Peridot, unsupervised, inside the house? She could have escaped, or released the corrupted Gems in the Bubble Room! She could have even-"

"That's enough, Pearl." Garnet interrupted the pale Gem's tirade, knowing that it could potentially go on for hours.

"Garnet, this isn't something that we can just brush away!" Pearl countered in concern.

"I'm very well aware of that, Pearl." Garnet replied. "Don't worry. I'll handle this."

Reluctantly, Pearl and Amethyst went to their rooms, leaving Steven and Garnet alone in the living room.

"Steven," Garnet began, looking at the boy through her dark visor, "Explain to me why you left Peridot alone and unsupervised."

"I..." Steven started, unsure of what to say. He thought for a moment, before settling on, "I guess I forgot that Peridot can't be left alone."

When Garnet didn't respond, he continued, "For the last few weeks, whenever I convince Peridot to come out of the bathroom, and I show her all of the wonderful things that Earth has to offer, I just forget that she used to be a bad guy. It's like she becomes a different person."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... She's curious. She's curious, and anxious, and naive, and she's scared, Garnet. She's stuck on a strange, alien planet without any idea on how anything works, and she's constantly afraid that either you, or Pearl, or Amethyst are going to attack her."

Steven took a breath, looking at Garnet with bright eyes. "She's my friend, Garnet. She's my friend, and I know I'm not supposed to trust her, but I do."

"And she didn't run!" He yelled, throwing his hands up. "As soon as Connie and I went out the door, I looked at her through the window, and the very first thing she did was pick up the remote and changed the channel. She never even thought of escaping!"

When he was finished, he was out of breath. So, he stood there, panting heavily, waiting for Garnet to respond.

"I'm proud of you, Steven."

It took Steven's brain a few minutes to comprehend what the Fusion had said. When it finally sunk in, he could only look at her in confusion.

"I'm proud of you, Steven." She repeated with a small smile, "You're standing up for what you think is right, even though it forced you to go against your family."

Garnet knelt down and removed her visor, looking at Steven with all three of her eyes. "I'll talk to the others about giving Peridot a little more freedom from now on. But until then, keep doing what you're doing, Steven. As long as you want her to trust you, I feel that she'll have a hard time from stopping herself from doing the same."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Peridot had heard everything.

Throughout the whole time that the Steven was being lectured by Pearl, she could feel a weight on her chest growing steadily heavier, and she couldn't understand why.

But then, the Steven began to describe her. She listened to the boy as he had called her curious, and scared, and she realized one thing.

He was absolutely right.

Every word the Steven said made her understand the way she felt, and she noticed that the boy had known all of these things about her before she even did.

And that scared her more than anything.

Peridot was scared for long, however. The Steven had called something, a "friend". She didn't know what that word meant, but then she heard that the Steven... Trusts her.

When she heard this, the crushing weight on her chest had suddenly disappeared, taking with it all of her anxiety. But, one thing still bothered her.

Why _didn't_ she escape?


	4. What's a Jam?

A/N Okay, special 2-Part story for you, my wonderful Followers/Favoriters. Gonna be honest, despite the lack of reviews, I really appreciate all the support this story has. If you want more action, mystery, and Steven/Connie fluff, check out my other story, "In the Name of Crystal".

Friendship Part 1

What's A "Jam"?

There was a knock at the door, quick and light, the way someone who is excited would knock. Steven, who had been laying on his stomach next to Peridot and watching an episode of " Under the Knife", stood up to answer the door, surprised to see a smiling Connie on the other side.

"Hey, Steven!" The Indian girl greeted, "Guess what today is?"

She held up her arms, showing the picnic basket she held in one hand, and the violin case in the other. In between them, Connie's smile grew wider.

A look of realization dawned on Steven's face. "Oh no! Our Saturday jam session! I totally forgot!" He yelled, hands on the side of his head in panic. "The Crystal Gems went to go search for Malachite again. I have to stay and watch Peridot."

"Oh." Connie said, disappointed. Suddenly, she perked up, a mischievous grin replacing her frown. She gently out down what she was holding, and sneaked her way up to Steven's room, where Peridot laid in the same spot, eyes glued to the TV.

Connie crouched down by the bed, before yelling "Peridot!" and jumping into the air, landing stomach-to-back on top of the green Gem.

"Oomph!" They both grunted at the impact, Connie giggling at the woman who was now face first into Steven's mattress.

"I am still having trouble understanding the purpose behind your methods of greeting, the Connie." Peridot said in a monotone, voice muffled by the bed.

"You don't have to understand it." The human replied through her laughs, "All you need to know is that it's something friends do."

'There is that word again.' Peridot thought. 'Both the Steven and the Connie have regarded me as as a 'friend' and both times it seems to have been used positively.' She made a mental note to ask the Steven what a 'friend' was.

"Steven, maybe Peridot can join us for our session?" Connie suggested.

"I don't know." He answered, "The Gems said that I have to stay here and watch Peridot."

"Negative." The mentioned Gem interrupted, "Those Crystal Clods stated that the Steven has to watch me. They did not say that we must stay here."

"Okay?" The boy began, unsure. He looked down at the picnic basket, before looking back to his friends and saying, "Yeah, the Gems didn't say we had to stay inside. Come on!"

Steven ran down the steps and grabbed his ukulele, picked up the picnic basket, and ran to the warp pad, ushering for the others to hurry up.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"What is 'jam'?" Peridot asked, holding a glass jar and studying the pink substance within.

"Jam is a-" Steven started, but is cut off by Connie saying, "Ooh, ooh, Steven, let me do this one!" Steven relented, curious as to how the girls would answer.

Clearing her throat, Connie said, "The word 'jam' has two different meanings. One type of jam is the stuff inside of that jar. Humans use that type of jam to eat, usually by spreading it on bread or biscuits, and its commonly made using fruits or berries."

Taking the jar from Peridot, Connie used a butter knife and spread the strawberry jam on three biscuits, keeping one and giving the others to Steven and Peridot.

"All you have to do is eat it like we taught you." She demonstrated this by taking a bite from the biscuit, closing her eyes and humming in pleasure.

Peridot looked over at Steven and noticed that he was doing the same thing. She looked down at the item in her hand, steadied herself, and took a bite.

She was met with a sweet sensation, , and found that, mixed into the sweet, was a hint of sour, which she found to actually improve the taste.

Finished with her biscuit, she waited for the two humans to finish as well. Licking her lips, Connie looked to Peridot to continue her lesson.

"Okay. Now, the word 'jam' has a second meaning, this one used to describe an action." She picked up her violin and motioned for Steven to pick up his ukulele. "Now, 'to jam' usually means to play a short piece of music very quickly.

To emphasise her point, the two humans began to play their instruments, laughing as they tried to sing the lyrics to a song they made up.

When they finished, they looked over at Peridot, and their smiles shrunk when the look of confusion and anxiety on her face.

"Peridot?" Steven asked, worried for the green woman, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

She looked up at the boy, saw how worried he was, and decided to ask the question that has been bothering her for days now.

"What is a 'friend'?"


	5. Peri and Nini

A/N Sorry about the wait. Kinda got distracted by school, and all those assignments I don't do. Plus, I'm typing this on a tablet, causing it to be a pain in the ass and horribly slow. Nevertheless, the LoneEroticWanderer presents to you the second part of this story!

Peri and Nini

Connie and Peridot sat in silence, waiting for Connie's mother to arrive.

When Peridot had asked the Steven and the Connie what a 'friend' was, they had no time to respond, because, without warning, Amethyst had appeared, grabbed the Steven, said a quick "Need Steven Go Home Bring Peridot Bye!" and warped off, taking him with her.

So, after a quick phone call to her mother explaining the situation, the human and the Gem sat outside of the Big Donut, enveloped in a comfortable silence.

"It's a promise." Connie said, breaking the silence.

"What are you talking about?" Peridot asked.

The human turned to look at her, eyes so full of passion, that Peridot was afraid it would overflow.

"Friendship."

"I don't understand."

"You asked Steven and I what a friend was."

"So a 'friend' is just another word for a promise?" Peridot asked, unsure how to feel about this.

The girl gave a soft chuckle. "Not exactly. When two people are friends, it means that they share a special bond. That bond is called friendship, and friendship is a promise."

Connie took a deep breath. "Friendship is an imaginary bond between two people. That bond is a promise to never lie to each other, to never betray each other's trust, to keep every single secret that they have, and to never, ever hurt each other."

"I never knew that humans were capable of such powerful magic." Peridot said, impressed.

"It isn't magic," Connie laughed, "It's just… A promise. When two people become friends, sometimes they notice that bond immediately. Other times, they don't notice it for a long time. But, when they do, they realize that they don't want to live alone anymore."

"And this bond, this… Promise… Is it the same for everyone?"

"Maybe." Connie said with a shrug, "I might not even be right about friendship. But, that's the way I see it. Friendship is different for everybody, and this is just the way it is for me."

Peridot thought about what she just learned, holding her chin in her hands as she wondered about the philosophy that is 'friendship'.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour later, both girls could be found in Connie's room, where Connie was explaining different aspects of Earth culture.

"But, why do humans go swimming in places that they know contain dangerous predators?" Peridot asked.

"It's not as simple as that." The human said, shaking her head. "Just because there ate sharks in the ocean, doesn't mean that they'll attack you. In fact, most shark attacks are caused by humans provoking them."

"Why would they provoke a creature that can kill them?"

"It's more by accident, really. When a person sees a shark, their first reaction is to panic. When they start thrashing around, the shark interprets this as a threat, and they attack in self-defense."

"Hmm… I guess that would make sense."

"Okay, so any other questions?"

"Actually, ye-"

"Connie!" Mr. Maheswaran interrupted, poking his head through the door, "I just got off the phone with Steven."

In a flash, Connie jumped up and ran to her father. "Is he okay? What's going on?"

"Calm down, Connie. Everything's fine. He just wanted to tell me that something came up, and that he and the Crystal Gems won't be back until tomorrow. So, I talked it over with you're mother. And we decided that, because you've been doing such a great job with your studies, as well as helping the Crystal Gems so often, we decided that, just this once, we will allow Peridot to stay over for the night."

Connie stood there, staring wide-eyed at her father, before cheering, pulling him into a bone crushing hug. Closing the door, she looked at Peridot with a large smile and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Peridot asked nervously.

Her only answer was Connie jumping into the air and, once again, landing on top of her.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is going to be so much fun!" The girl said later, as the sun was setting and her parents having gone to bed.

"I don't understand." Peridot said.

"I've never had a slumber party before!"

"What is a 'slumber' party?" The green woman asked, understanding what a party was, but not a 'slumber'.

"A slumber party is just like a regular party. Except, instead of listening to music and dancing, we watch scary movies, eat snacks, and play board games. And, when we get tired, we both take all of the pillows we can find, put them on my bed, and fall asleep on a big mountain of pillows." Connie explained, almost shaking with excitement.

"Hmm… Very well. I will participate in this 'slumber party'."

"Yes!" Connie cheered.

She moved to the television, and opened the cabinet beneath, revealing a stack of horror movies.

"Steven let me borrow some of the movies he got from Ronaldo, but I haven't gotten the chance to watch them." The girl held up two movies. "Which sounds better: 'Nightmare on Elm Street', or 'Hellraiser'?"

"Umm…" Peridot thought for a moment, looking at the two cover pictures. "The 'Nightmare on Elm Street' sounds interesting."

"Alright, I'll go make some popcorn." Connie said, standing up.

"Popcorn?" The Gem asked, once again confused.

"I'll explain in a minute. Just wait right there."

As the human left the room, Peridot finally took the time to look around, and noticed how it was decorated.

The walls were painted maroon, with wooden baseboards that contrasted nicely. On the walls were a couple of framed posters, one of which caught her attention, hanging in-between two shelves with odd looking items on them. The Gem stood up and walked closer, wanting to get a better look.

The poster was dark, utilizing only blacks, dark greys, and very dark yellowish greens- it looked even darker in contrast to the brighter colors of the room. In the center of the poster was a human male- a very old one, as shown by the wrinkles on his face- and, at the bottom of the poster, the color of a deep red, were the words:

The Twelfth Doctor.

Peridot turned to the shelves, and took a closer look at the odd items. One of them was a plushie-an odd word that the Connie had explained to her- in the shape of a blue rectangular prism. Next to it was another plushie, this one shaped like a rounded off cone with three spikes. On the other shelf, there was a red cylinder with a golden wire emerging from the top, a strange metal stick, and other odd items that all seemed strange and alien to Peridot, even by Earth standards.

"I'm back!" The Connie said, walking into the room with a large bowl filled with… Something.

"Who is 'The Twelfth Doctor'?" Peridot asked, the number of questions she had about the items increasing to an uncomfortable amount.

"Ooh, now THAT'S a topic for another day." The girl said with a chesire grin.

"What? Why?" The Gem panicked, never before had the humans refused to explain something to her, and the sudden change made her a bit worried.

"Trust me, if I tried to explain Doctor Who to a normal human, it could take hours. No offense, but I think it could take a bit longer for you to understand." Connie explained.

"Peridot understood,but there was one thing that still bothered her.

"Doctor _Who_?" She asked.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

P.S. I have a headcannon that Connie would be a huge Doctor Who fan. I mean, she's smart, has anxiety issues, spent most of her life without friends, and seems to easily learn to accept the improbable? That's the basic outline of every Whovian EVER! And, the poster she has is a real poster, and I actually have it myself. Peter Capaldi is Scottalicious!


	6. Halloween

A/N I want to thank all of my reviewers, followers, and favoriters! You're support is what keeps me writing this. As thanks, I've written a special Halloween story for my little wanderers. Enjoy!

In reply to guest reviewer, CaptainGrumpy: There's a special gift for you in this chapter! ;)

Halloween

Peridot stared. "What… In… Yellow Diamond's… Name… Are you… Wearing?"

The Steven had explained the concept of "Halloween" to her the other day, when the people of Beach City began placing those orange plants with unattractive expressions throughout the town, and while she could find reason in giving treats to the newly emerged, the necessity of wearing a "costume" continued to elude her.

"I made a falcon costume!" The boy answered, spreading his wings with pride.

Amethyst laughed. "Good job, Steven! Your costume looks awesome! Definitely better than Pearl's!"

"Amethyst!" Pearl said, annoyed, "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because your costume is hilarious!" She answered, pointing to the Gem dressed as a clown.

"It wasn't my idea." The pale Gem argued, "Steven and Connie are the ones who wrote down words on pieces of paper, put them inside of a hat, and made us pick one!"

"You're just bummed out because I make my costume look good!" Amethyst said, posing in her Gypsy outfit.

"Stop arguing you two." Garnet intervened, before the fight could escalate any further. "We promised Steven that we would do this for him. I'm not sure why, but he thought that it was important that we dress up."

Although she wouldn't say it out loud, she thought she looked good as Cleopatra.

A knock on the door caught everyone's attention, followed by Amethyst's uncontrollable laughter when she saw Connie's costume.

"Laugh all you want Amethyst. Bowties are cool." Connie said with an uncharacteristic confidence, straightening her red bowtie.

"Wow, Connie! You look amazing!" Steven complimented, making the Indian girl blush.

"Thanks, Steven. I put a lot of work into this."

"What are you even supposed to be?" Amethyst managed to ask through her laughter, looking at the human wearing a tweed suit, suspenders, the aforementioned bowtie, circle glasses, and a fez.

"I'm the Eleventh Doctor!" She answered, spinning around. When they all stared at her, she just sighed and said, "It's from a TV show. Peridot knows what I mean."

The technician nodded, remembering the hours spent alone with the girl, watching episode after episode of the show they both enjoyed so much.

"Connie, did you bring Peridot's costume?" System asked.

'... What?'

"Yep! I've got it right her." She answered, pulling out a black outfit.

"What is this?" Peridot asked them, "I did not agree to this."

"Don't be like that, Peridot." Steven pleaded, "Look, the other Gems are wearing costumes."

"So THAT'S why you wanted us to wear these ridiculous things!" Pearl interrupted, "You just needed a way to convince Peridot to go trick or treating!"

"Yes!" Connie answered, seeing that Steven was beginning to get nervous, "We thought that if she saw you guys wearing costumes, she might realize that trick or treating is really fun!"

"You did not have to trick me."

They all turned to look at Peridot, whose face was set in an emotionless mask.

"Peridot, we didn't mean to-" Steven started, but stopped when the green Gem turned around, walked into the bathroom, and locked the door.

"Peridot, we're sorry! We just wanted to-" Connie tried, but this time, she was cut off by Garnet blocking the way.

"Pearl, Amethyst, take these two outside." The stoic Gem ordered, "I'll be out in a minute."

Once she was alone, she walked to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Peridot!"

"Leave me alone you Crystal Clods!" The green woman replied bitterly.

"Listen, Peridot," Garnet began in a soft voice, "Steven and Connie didn't mean to hurt you. Ever since they started showing you all of the things that they love about Earth, they've been trying to find a way for you to interact with more humans, and to see why we fight to protect these people."

She paused, trying to figure out what to say next.

"Steven's mother was Rose Quartz… She could see beauty in everything. She once told me about all of the planets she's seen, and she said…"

Garnet paused again, feeling the emotions surging through her two halfs. She could feel Ruby's anger and hatred of the disgusting things that the Homeworld did in the war, as well as Sapphire's grief and despair for the friends she lost.

"... She said that, of all the planets she's seen, Earth is, by far, the most beautiful… She passed on her love if all life to Steven, and he… He can see beauty inside of you, Peridot. You don't have to hide that beauty anymore, not like you did on Homeworld."

With that, Garnet left the house, meeting up with the others at the bottom of the steps.

"Is Peridot okay?" Steven asked with worry.

"She'll be okay. Let's give her some time alone to think things through. Come on, time to go trick or treating."

"We can't just leave her alone in the temple!" Pearl said.

"Yes she can." Garnet countered, "She's been incredibly well behaved recently, so she deserves a little freedom as a reward. She can catch up to us later."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Peridot was broken.

That was the only logical explanation that she could calculate for her current situation. Why else would her eyes be leaking this watery substance?

She felt broken-yes, broken. That's why her chest aches with such an agonizing pain. It has nothing to do with the humans.

Peridot tried to ignore the fusion, even insulted her to make her go away, but she just kept talking about 'beauty' and 'hiding'. When she finally left, the green Gem left the bathroom, looking around the empty house.

She saw the costume that Connie had brought for her. It was a sweater, decorated with green and red stripes, and had many rips and holes all over it. In addition to the sweater, there was a pair of black pants, that seemed to be thoroughly burned, as well as a dark brown fedora.

Try as she might, Peridot could not stop a small smile from appearing on her face at the sight of the Freddy Krueger costume, remembering the horror movie.

Suddenly, she heard a soft noise, softer than a whisper, coming from the door of the temple.

Peridot walked towards the door, jumping in surprise when it opened for her. She looked around the dark room, seeing all of the different Gems floating near the ceiling, safely contained in bubbles of all colours.

She heard the noise again, only slightly louder than last time. To her, it sounded like something was talking, but she couldn't be sure.

Walking forwards, she traveled deeper and deeper into the Bubble Room, where she noticed less and less bubbles as she walked. Meanwhile, the noise was growing steadily louder, to the point where she was sure that something was talking.

Peridot eventually came across a large crater, almost 50 feet in radius, and at the center, was a large, pink bubble- a Rose Quartz bubble, she realized- which contained a single, small black Gem shard.

She fell backwards in shock when, without warning, a series of pure silver lightning bolts were released from the Gem shard, mostly contained, but a few still managed to pierce through and strike the sides of the crater.

'Whatever Rose Quartz was trying to contain,' She thought, 'It seems to be stronger than she thought.'

Peridot heard the noise again, and felt her Gemstone grow cold, but she was unsure why.

"... Yellow… Diamond…"

The voice was deep, chilling, and seemingly devoid of all emotion, except for hatred, fear, and disgust.

"... Rose… Quartz…"

Peridot was walking down the side of the crater, getting closer to the bubble, unable to stop herself.

"... Cluster… Confess…"

Peridot was inches away from the bubble, close enough to reach out and touch it. More silver lightning struck around her.

"... Rose… Diamond…"

Peridot reaches out, pure, unadulterated fear fills her to the very core of her Gemstone, as she desperately fights for control of her body.

"... Confess… Confess…"

More of that watery substance leaks from her eyes, as she pops the bubble-

And opens her eyes with a loud scream.

Disoriented, Peridot frantically looks around the bathroom, noticing how nothing has changed. As she hyperventilates, she stands up and notices that the door is still locked.

Opening the door, she takes a long, close look around the living room, trying to find anything that looks suspicious. Seeing nothing, the technician takes a deep breath, trying to steady her breathing and come down from her panic. Walking out into the living room, she realizes that the Freddy Krueger costume was missing, replaced by a white dress shirt, black dress pants, and a black jacket with red lining.

"The Twelfth Doctor." She says to herself, smiling wide at the outfit of her favorite Time Lord.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Peridot!" Steven called out, making the rest of the group look towards the approaching green woman.

Sadie and Lars, dressed as a witch and a zombie, had joined the magical group, and they were all sitting at the tables around the Big Donut. When she arrived, Sadie gave Peridot a pumpkin shaped pastry.

"Don't worry, they're on the house tonight." The teenager assured her, when the Gem had refused.

"Peridot-" Connie began, before Peridot cut her off.

"I am not Peridot." She said, a small smile working its way into her face, "My name is John Smith, but you may call me, the Doctor."

Connie laughed, while Steven gave a relieved sigh.

"We're both really sorry, Peridot." He said.

"I know you are, Steven. But, it's… Possible that I… Might have… Overreacted."

"Forgive and forget?" Connie asked nervously.

"Affirmative." She answered.

As the three of them embraced, Garnet gave a smile, as Ruby and Sapphire began to feel that, maybe, Peridot might be as trustworthy as Steven thinks she is.

A/N I've hidden a special reference in this chapter! I'm going to offer the first person to find it a special preview of the next chapter! Happy Halloween!


	7. Saint Diamond

A/N Okay, so, nobody has found the special reference. I've seen some good guesses, as well as a reference that I had accidentally made. Don't worry everyone, I'll probably have another contest sooner or later. Remember to R&R, my little wanderers!

I'm basing this chapter on a small fan-comic I found a while back. If anyone can find that comic's creator, PM me, and I'll give them credit.

Saint Diamond

Alone.

Peridot sat, alone and abandoned, inside of the technology depot. She sat there, spirit broken and will crumbling.

And she was alone.

Peridot didn't know what to do anymore. Every moment of her existence was the same: Enter a facility, be directed to the malfunctioning equipment, repair it, be forced to listen as the upper class Gems degraded her for being a simple technician, and then be forced to repeat the cycle again.

The green Gem couldn't stand it anymore!

So, as she walked past the technology depot, on her way to the next facility, she walked into the depot, sat down in the most remote area she could find, and waited.

And waited. And waited.

Peridot didn't know how long she had sat there, but eventually, someone else entered the depot, the sound of the doors opening echoing throughout the silent building.

The technician sighed deeply, believing that an officer of the Diamond Authority had finally arrived to shatter her. The footsteps of the newcomer were soft, sounding as though the officer did not weigh very much- odd, seeing as most officers of the Diamond Authority are Quartzes.

Slowly, the officer's footsteps eventually made their way towards Peridot, stopping in front of her.

"Now, what do we have here?" A soft, regal voice asked, "Why are you all alone in the dark?"

Peridot looked up, eyes widening at the sight of the Gem looking down at her.

"La-Lady Diamond." The technician stuttered, beginning to tremble in fear.

"You are a Peridot, are you not? A technician?" Yellow Diamond continued, ignoring the green Gem's trembles.

"Yes, ye-yes I am, Lady Diamond."

"Good. Would you mind accompanying me back to my palace? There are a number of devices that are in need of repair. I came to this technology depot to search for spare parts, so that I might repair them myself. However, I feel that someone like yourself would be much more proficient at the repairs than I would." The Gem monarch explained, sounding almost embarrassed towards the end.

"So, will you accept my request, young Peridot?" Yellow Diamond finished, holding out her hand, offering to help the technician stand up, giving the green Gem a warm smile.

Slowly, uncertainly, Peridot reached up and grabbed the proffered hand. Standing up, the two Gems walked out of the depot.

"I feel that this is the beginning of something magnificent." Yellow Diamond said softly, making Peridot begin to feel as though she just made a terrible, horrible mistake.

And she was right. As they years passed, Peridot watched as Yellow Diamond slowly lifted the mask of regality and benevolence. She watched as Yellow Diamond gradually revealed her true nature, a nature of rage and malice and disgust. The Gem monarch forced the technician to experiment on innocent Gems, forced her to harvest their Gemstones, and attempt to fuse them with other victims of Yellow Diamond's sick, twisted sense of "Purification". In time, Peridot began to wonder if she had truly broken her endless cycle, or rather, simply plunged herself into a far more heinous reality.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Alone.

Peridot sat, alone and uncertain, in a dark corner of the bathroom. She was shaking- trembling, almost- as she listened to the howling winds that blew through the air, causing the already torrential downpour to crash against the windows with even more force than it already had been.

The technician flinched once again, whimpering softly, as a loud thunderclap sounded, so powerful that she could feel the house shaking from it. A bright flash of lightning briefly illuminated the small room, showing Peridot clutching the blanket she was wrapped in even tighter, as she tried to steady her shaking hands in order to not spill the warm chocolate substance within her ceramic mug.

Another clap of thunder made the Peridot jump in surprise, dropping her mug, which shattered with a loud crash, splattering hot chocolate all over her.

The green woman gave a miserable wail, pulling the blanket even tighter than before. Against her will, her eyes began to leak that watery substance once again- Steven had told her that they are called tears, and that the leaking is an action called crying, and that it happens in moments of great distress.

"Peridot?" Steven's tired voice called out into the night, grabbing the mentioned Gem's attention. The boy opened the bathroom door, poking his head in to take a look at her, sleep filled eyes blinking heavily as he tried to wake up.

"Peridot, are you okay?" He asked, "I heard a loud crash. Did something happen?"

"I-It's no-nothing, the Stev-Steven." She managed to stutter.

Steven flicked on the bathroom light, gasping as he saw the broken mug and the chocolaty mess.

"I di-did not m-mean to-"

"Hey, it's okay." He interrupted, "It's not a big deal. Come on, let's go get some paper towels and a broom to clean this up. Then, you can come spend the night in my room, if you want. You can help me understand everything about that science show you and Connie are always talking about."

The boy held out his hand, offering to help the technician stand up.

"Whaddya say, Dot?" Steven finished, giving the green Gem a warm smile.

Looking at the proffered hand, Peridot couldn't help but be reminded of that fateful day back on Homeworld, when she had accepted Yellow Diamond's offer. She remembered the uneasy feeling she had, remembered how the Gem monarch was really so much crueller than she had seemed on that day.

Her eyes flicked back to his face, and she thought that she had briefly seen her pseudo-savior standing before her, not the kind boy he really was.

Taking a deep breath, Peridot reached up and grabbed his hand, standing up and walking out of the bathroom with him.

"I feel that this is the beginning of an amazing sleepover!" Steven said in excitement.

As the two Gems walked to the kitchen to obtain the paper towels, Peridot began to feel that, this time around, she made the right choice.


	8. Cloud Gazing

A/N Alright, chapter 8! Quick apologies for the long delay. I had an exhausting week, and I guess I lost track of my updates. Fortunately, I managed to finish the second chapter of my "In the Name of Crystal" rewrite, as well as half of the third. Before I can post those, I need to finish editing the first chapter. If anyone is interested in becoming my coauthor, send me a message.

Now, an important thing about this chapter: I understand that Peridot is a difficult character to accurately write, and I admit that I might have messed up in this one. I write these out while I'm at school, and I don't have access to the Internet in order to check for behavior errors. If you see an inaccurate portrayal, or if you want to suggest a chapter, leave a review. Enjoy the chapter, my little wanderers!

Damn. A lot of angst in this one.

Cloud Gazing

'The Greg is doing it again.'

When Peridot woke up, that was the very first thought she had, before groaning loudly and trying to return to sleep. Unfortunately, at this point, she had already acknowledged the music's existence, leaving her unable to ignore it.

With an annoyed sigh, Peridot sat up, having slept on the couch the night before. Walking over to the window, she looked out, and saw the same scene that's been waking her up for the last few days.

Outside, Greg has parked his van a few yards from the house. The man in question sat on the roof of the vehicle, strumming his guitar, as Steven sat next to him, doing the same to his ukulele. Both humans were singing a strange song, one that included forgetting the coordinates of their location, as well as something designated a "Piña Colada".

Walking out onto the beach, Peridot sat on top of a large rock, about 20 yards away from the two musical humans. She brought her legs to her chest and rested her chin on top of her knees, taking a deep breath. Then, she looked up, staring at the sky as the cloud slowly traveled across the blue canvas.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?"

The technician turned her head to the side, getting a glimpse at Pearl, who was sitting on the rock with her, looking to the sky.

"They are… Not unpleasant to observe, if that is your meaning." Peridot agreed, looking back to sky, resulting in the two Gems leaning their backs against each other.

They sat like this in silence, just staring at the clouds. Eventually, Steven and his father noticed what the two aliens were doing. Putting away their instruments, they made their way over to the rock and laid down in the sand, neither saying a word. While Steven had the urge to point out shapes in the clouds, he held his tongue, feeling that the tranquility of the moment was too precious to interrupt.

Minutes turned to hours, as the silence remained unbroken. When Greg fell asleep, he didn't snore like he usually did, as if his body understood the need to be quiet. When Connie arrived, no words were spoken. She simply donned a pair of sunglasses and laid down next to Steven. Over time, the two humans slowly moved closer to each other, until Connie's head was resting on Steven's shoulder. They were both blushing a violent red, but they both wore small smiles of happiness.

As midday approached, the three humans stood up and left, returning shortly with lunch, eating as they continued their cloud gazing. When they finished, Greg left, this time for good, needing to return to his car wash. Later, a tall human man, with short, black hair and a rough goatee, dressed in dark jeans and an overcoat, made his way onto the beach, walking up the steps to the house and knocking on the door. Not getting a response, he looked around, quickly spotting the small group by the rock.

"Excuse me," He called out, his deep, rough voice finally shattering the hours long silence, "Do any of you live here?"

"Yes, is there something I can help you with?" Pearl asked, turning to look at the young man.

"I'm looking for a girl named Amethyst. Long white hair, purple skin, really cool, sound familiar?"

"Amethyst lives here, if that's what you're wondering." Connie answered him.

The man looked relieved. "Do you know where I can find her? There's something I needed to ask her." The man looked nervous, slightly turning his head to look around, as if expecting to find the Gem in question.

"I'm afraid she's left for the day." Pearl told him, "Is it an emergency? If it is, I can go out and find her for you."

"Ah, no that's okay." He replied, his nervousness now being replaced with embarrassment. "I'll just come back tomorrow."

"Are you sure? If you want, I could tell Amethyst that you were here, Mister…" Pearl trailed off, realizing that she didn't know this man's name.

"Mercer," He introduced himself, "Doctor Logan Isaac Mercer."

"Doctor Mercer." Pearl repeated.

A few hours after the man left, the sun was beginning to set. Connie stood up and left, giving Steven a hug that, by Peridot's count, was a few seconds longer than usual. It wasn't long until a chime sounded through the silence, signalling the return of Garnet and Amethyst via the warp pad.

Amethyst kicked open the front door and was about to yell down to the three cloud watchers, but was stopped when Garnet placed a hand on her shoulder. When the purple Gem looked to her leader, the fusion simply shook her head, walking down to the group and sitting in the sand, leaning against the large rock. Amethyst followed her, laying down next to Steven.

Soon, the sun had set completely, the clouds dispersing into the atmosphere. As a result, the night sky was left unobscured, with the stars shining as bright as ever. Silently, Peridot raised her hand and began to trace the constellations with her index finger. Moments pass, before, all of a sudden, she lets out a sharp gasp, breaking the silence for the second time that day.

"Peridot, what's wrong?" Pearl asked, being genuinely worried about the green woman for the first time.

The technician didn't answer, the only sound that escaped her was a choked sob as she covered her mouth with her other hand, still pointing to the stars.

"Peridot. What's happened?" Garnet asked, a bit more forcefully than Pearl.

In response, Peridot whispered something, too softly for anyone to hear.

"What was that?" Pearl asked.

"... Homeworld…" She whispered, tears beginning to streak down her face.

The Crystal Gems' eyes widened in realization, looking at each other and wondering what to do.

"Pearl. Amethyst. Steven. Go inside." Garnet ordered, and the three left without argument.

The fusion climbed on top of the rock, sitting next to the quietly sobbing Gem. Garnet slowly placed her hand on Peridot's shoulder, squeezing softly.

"You would have been killed." She said after a long time.

"I know…" Peridot sniffed.

"That's why we betrayed Homeworld. Yellow Diamond believes that a mistake is the result of a genetic flaw, so she destroys every Gem that fails to complete their task. Purification, she called it, eliminating genetic flaws in order to maintain species superiority."

"I know…" Memories of her work for the Gem monarch flooded the technician's mind, making her shudder.

"But, you still want to go home?"

Peridot cried harder at this, violently shaking her head and confusing Garnet even further.

"I… I have… N-No home…" The technician cried, making the fusion's eyes widen in surprise.

"Why do you say that?"

"B… Because… I am… No longer w-welcome… On Homeworld… " She whispered in-between sobs, "And… And I am… N-Not welcome… Here…"

"You're wrong."

Peridot looked up at the fusion, her eyes filled with confusion and fear and despair.

"You're wrong, Peridot," Garnet repeated, "Because you are welcome here."

Garnet turned around on the rock so that she was fully facing Peridot. She put both of her hands on on her shoulders, and said, "When you first came to Earth, you did some bad things. But since then, you've shown that you aren't cruel or heartless. You've shown to me that you are able to be kind, gentle, and, maybe, even trustworthy. I know for a fact that Steven and Connie consider you their friend, and I can clearly see that Steven thinks you want to stay on Earth."

Garnet stands up. "You're very welcome to stay on Earth, Peridot, and you're more than welcome to call Earth your home." She finishes, walking away.

Peridot sits there, silently thinking about what the fusion had just said to her. One part of her, a part that has been slowly shrinking over the last few months, tries to convince her that loyalty to the Homeworld is priority, that she must never, ever believe that a life without the worship of Lady Yellow Diamond is even remotely possible.

However, the other part of her, far larger than the first, speaks louder, reminding her of the consequences of failure that surely await her back on Homeworld. It tells her to remember the happiness she feels whenever she is learning about this planet, and the overwhelming satisfaction that fills her to the very core of her Gemstone whenever she makes sense of the humans strange lifestyle.

The technician makes her decision.

Walking up the steps to the beach house, she opens the door and observes Pearl teasing Amethyst for her apparent attraction to the strange human who had been looking for her earlier. Her entrance catches the attention of the Crystal Gems, who all stare at her with varying degrees of concern.

"How do you feel?" Pearl asks.

Taking a deep breath, Peridot looks directly into Garnet's visor-covered eyes.

"I'm home."

A/N Remember to R&R! I'm currently getting an early start on a Thanksgiving chapter, and I'll be taking a different approach. Instead of an actual story, I'll be having Peridot recording one of her logs on her "observations of the human ritual of Thanksgiving". Have a lovely day!


	9. Gem, Soldier, and Furry Creature

A/N This is the longest chapter of Peridot Vs The World that I have written, and there's a second part to this. Not as much Crystal Gem interaction in this one, but a lot of direct-human-contact than ever before.

The Gem, The Soldier, and The Furry Creature

'I never realized that humans could be so… Broken…' Peridot thought, looking at the human sitting on the couch.

A few hours earlier, Peridot had been at the beach house, along with the rest of the Crystal Gems. Connie and Steven had just finished a rigorous 12-hour training marathon, and as a reward for their determination, Greg had suggested that they celebrate with something he called a "bar-beck-cue". Although the technician didn't understand, everyone else appeared to be excited, so she deemed it an object she might find enjoyable.

Shortly after the barbecue began, the arrival of two other humans caught her attention. First, Connie's mother, Doctor Maheswaran, decided to show her support for her daughter. At first, the woman refused to let Connie eat the food that Greg had prepared, saying that it was "extremely unhealthy". But, when Pearl said that the protein within the food would be necessary to strengthen her muscles, the doctor relented, much to Connie's enjoyment.

Not long after this, the other human, Logan Mercer, made his way up the beach, resulting in Amethyst knocking him to the ground when she tackled him. As he stood up, Peridot noticed that he seemed to struggle with his right leg, requiring Amethyst to help him stand.

Introductions were made, and the barbecue proceeded without interruption. Peridot was introduced to the world of barbecue sauce, and was pleasantly surprised by the sweetness/tanginess of the substance. Unfortunately, the sticky mess that was left behind was not something she enjoyed, making Steven and Connie laugh in amusement,

Greg had to return to his carwash sometime later, leaving Dr. Maheswaran and Logan to fend for themselves. Almost immediately after he left, Garnet froze up, before alerting everyone that her future vision showed that a large group of cluster experiments would be arriving at Mask Island. As the Crystal Gems prepared to depart, Steven brought up the subject of Peridot.

"Can't she come with us?" Connie asked, turning to Garnet.

"No," The stoic Gems answered, "While Peridot has slowly proven herself to be trustworthy, without her limb enhancers, she's useless in a fight. No offense." The last part was directed to the technician, who just stared at the fusion.

"None taken." She replied sarcastically.

Either Garnet didn't understand sarcasm, or simply chose to ignore it. "While we're gone," She continued, "We need somebody to keep an eye on Peridot. Any volunteers?"

"I have to get to the hospital." Connie's mother said, looking at her watch.

"Okay then. Logan will look after her." Pearl decided.

"What?" Logan asked, "Why do I have to do it? I barely even know her?!"

"Then now's your chance!" Steven exclaimed, stars in his eyes. "While we're gone, you can take Peridot to your house and show her around!"

"I have to go to work!" He argued, "And I don't think my boss would appreciate it if I brought an alien to the cafe."

"Oh, Loooogaaan!" Amethyst called in a sing-song voice, "If you brought Peridot with you, the Gems and I would be veeery thankful!"

"So?" Logan scoffed.

"Sooo," Amethyst walked over to him, pulled his arm down so she could reach his head, and whispered something into his ear. While the rest of the Crystal Gems couldn't hear what she was saying, they could clearly see that both human and Gem were blushing violently.

Standing up straight, Logan cleared his throat. "I guess… I could take her with me…" He said.

"Woohoo!" Steven cheered, oblivious to what just happened, "Have fun, Peridot! Make sure you tell me if you learn anything!"

After the Crystal Gems warped off, and Dr. Maheswaran had left, Peridot found herself walking down the street next to Logan. Looking at him, she noticed that the human was walking very strangely. Against her will, this small, unimportant detail soon captured all of her attention.

During her time on Earth, Peridot has not met too many humans, a fact that she isn't really proud of- Not that she's ashamed of her limited exposure, she just isn't proud of it. Despite this, she has noticed that all humans seem to be very steady when they walk. Logan, it would seem, is the exception to this.

As he walks, his left foot is firm and steady, as she expected. However, his right foot seems to be… Off. Whenever he shifted his weight to his right leg, the rest of his body would tense up, as if he was preparing to fall and injure himself. No matter how Peridot looked at the situation, the technician could not make any sense of it.

"Stop staring!" Logan's sudden outburst was shocking enough to rip Peridot out of her thoughts.

"I… Uh, I didn't mean to… To anger you, Doctor Logan Isaac Mercer." The Gem said softly, beginning to grow nervous.

'This human is completely unpredictable.' Peridot thought to herself, unsure how to handle her current predicament.

In the past, every human that she has met, it was through a direct introduction by either Steven or Connie. Whenever she met someone new, whether on purpose or by coincidence, the two humans would always provide her with some… Background information, which she would use to figure out their personality.

But Logan was different. She was never directly introduced to him, she knows nothing about him, and she doesn't know if she should trust him. While Garnet and Pearl seem indifferent, Steven extends his trust to everyone, and Connie believes that the boy's trust is always well placed, Amethyst is the only Gem to openly trust this man. That, in and of itself, doesn't offer Peridot much reassurance. Amethyst might have a good sense of who's trustworthy, but the people she befriends can often be described using the same adjectives at her: Loud, irritating, and messy.

So far, Logan has exhibited none of these traits, serving to unnerve Peridot even further. To the technician, the man can only be described as a variable- A complete unknown, only solvable once the correct formula is found, base information is provided, and calculations are made.

Beside her, Logan gave a deep sigh, once again bringing Peridot back to the present.

"Don't… Don't say my full name. Just call me Logan, everyone does. And second, I… Apologize, for yelling at you. I just hate it when people stare at my… Well, my disability." He explained, not looking at her.

"Disability?" Peridot repeated, making Logan look at her, "I was unaware that you possessed a disability."

Logan stated at her, then shook his head. "We're almost at my apartment. I'll explain when we get there."

"Very well."

After another ten minutes of walking, the human and the Gem arrived at a small apartment complex. Climbing the stairs, Peridot noticed that, once again, Logan appeared to have difficulty with his right leg. This time, the Gem decided to ignore it, focusing instead on the building itself. She looked around and saw all of the doors and windows, wondering why one human would require this amount of space.

"Not all of this belongs to me." He explained to her when she asked, "Each door opens up to a different apartment, and other people live in each apartment."

"So, this is a communal facility?" Peridot questioned.

"That's one way to put it." The human said, stopping in front of a door, "This one belongs to me."

Opening the door, Peridot was greeted with a small, cozy looking- Though rather messy- living room. Its layout was roughly similar to the beach house: A kitchen, a couch, a television, etc. Off to the right was a hallway, which she assumed led to the bathroom and Logan's bedroom.

"Take a seat on the couch, make yourself comfortable." The human said, sitting down himself, "See that you're not human, I have a feeling that my explanation will take longer than usual."

As she sat down, Logan made a loud, high pitched noise- She briefly recalled Steven designating the noise as a "whistle"- before the Gem heard a sudden thump coming from Logan's room. Looking down the hallway, she saw a-

" WHAT IN YELLOW DIAMOND'S NAME IS THAT!?" Peridot screamed, jumping off of the couch and running to the other side of the room. The creature that had come out of hiding- Some white colored, brown spotted, furry beast- seemed unaffected by her outburst. Instead, it jumped onto the couch and pushed itself against Logan, ignoring the Gem completely.

Logan, meanwhile, began rubbing his hands all over the beast's body, staring at the technician with a mix of confusion, irritation, and amusement.

"What in the hell is wrong with you?" He asked her, "Haven't you ever seen a dog before?"

"A… A dog?"

"Yes. A dog." When Peridot shook her head, he sighed in annoyance, muttering, "What have those kids been teaching you about?" Looking back to her, he said, "A dog is a type of animal, with many different breeds all around the world. They can be trained to do a variety of things: Performing tricks, locating dangerous objects, providing protection. Things like that."

"So… W-What is the information upon your… Dog?" She asked, not taking her eyes off of the creature. Before he could answer, she suddenly had an idea to solve her problem regarding the lack of information on the man in front of her:

Do what Steven would do.

"His name is To-"

"Wait!" The technician interrupted. Walking closer to the creature, she reached into the little dark green satchel bag that she carried- A gift from Steven- and removed her tape recorder. Inserting a blank cassette, she cleared her throat and began recording.

"Peridot's Log #82: This is Peridot, recording information on the Earth species designated as 'dog'. Now, Doctor Logan Isaac Mercer, a human medical professional, will provide information on the dog that is owned by himself. "

When Peridot stopped talking, she looked up to Logan, who was staring at her with an irritated expression.

"I'm not doing this. I'm going to explain my disability, and then I'm going to work." He said, staring into her eyes.

Slowly, Peridot put the tape recorder back into her bag, all the while struggling to not begin panicking at the situation.

'You idiot!' She mentally berated herself, 'You are not Steven! You can't utilize spontaneous acts of randomness to make everything better, not like he can!'

The technician's only plan had failed. Without Steven's helpful guidance, Peridot had decided that the best course of action to learn about Logan was to emulate the boy's behavior. Nevertheless, the man before her was still a variable, and the only thing she was successful in doing was embarrassing herself.

Peridot was brought back to reality when Logan bent down and began rolling up his right pants leg. Instead of an organic appendage, there was a black, red-lined metal prosthetic.

"A few years back," Logan began, "When I was fighting in in the war in Iraq, the squadron I was assigned to was hit by an ambush…" Logan took a deep breath, exhaling shakily. "One of the enemies detonated an explosive… Killed a lot of good people, and blew off my leg, right from the knee down…" He slowly stopped speaking, his eyes glazing over as he grew quiet.

About five minutes passed in silence, Peridot waiting for him to continue. As she waited, she noticed that the dog, who had been very excitable since he left the bedroom, was suddenly very calm. The dog began to whine softly, using its head to nudge the human. Logan shifted slightly in his seat, and the dog reacted by laying its head down on the human's lap.

Peridot watched as Logan slowly brought his hand up and began to stroke the dog's head, taking notice of how he seemed to be unaware of his actions. As the minutes passed, Logan's eyes slowly refocused on the present. When it looked like he had recovered from whatever had ailed him, the dog lifted its head and returned to its original excited mood, trying to climb on top of Logan in an effort to receive attention.

'Comfort.' The Gem thought in realization, 'Logan's dog is trained to comfort him from bad memories… I never realized humans could be so… Broken…"

"... Sorry… It's just that… Sometimes, I can get… Lost, in the past…" Logan slowly apologized, not looking at his guest.

Peridot could see that the human was uncomfortable. Fortunately, that was the only social problem that the green woman knew how to remedy.

"What is its name?" Peridot changed the topic, pointing at the dog.

"Toby." Logan answered, silently thankful for the distraction, "His name is Toby, he's about three years old, and he's a pitbull."

"I thought his species was a dog?" The Gem asked, suddenly confused.

"He is. But, there are different breeds of dogs. One of these breeds is called a pitbull." He explained. The man's cellphone began ringing, catching his attention. Staring at the screen, he gave a heavy sigh. "Well, I have to get changed for work. Keep an eye on Toby for me."

As the human walked away, Toby jumped off the couch and ran over to Peridot. Without skipping a beat, the dog knocked the Gem to the ground and started licking every inch of her face. Peridot struggled to escape the furry creature's reach, but slowly relented when she realized that resistance was futile.

'I should have gone with those Crystal Clods.' She thought to herself as Logan laughed at her predicament.

A/N I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. In case anyone was wondering, Toby is my dog in reality. For as much bad reputation that pitbulls have, Toby is the polar opposite. I originally trained him to be a guard dog, but he was just too damn happy to be effective. He's still extremely protective of me though. Remember to review, my lovely little wanderers!


	10. The 12th Doctor

A/N Once again, I apologize for the long wait. I just recently earned the right to play my PlayStation again, and have been using my time to obtain all of the trophies for Skyrim. As an apology, I'm going to tell my little wanderers the chapter titles for the chapters that I've finished so far:

"Unlikely Roommates" & "The Theory of Everything"

And now, onto the chapter!

The 12th Doctor

"What are you doing now?" Logan said in a tired voice, looking at the Gem technician.

"The audio synthesizer was not functioning at full efficiency." Peridot answered, not looking away from the computer console that she was taking apart, "I have taken the liberty to increase the efficiency at which the synthesizer operates. While I was working, I recalibrated the signal network, improved the quality of audio emissions, renewed the circuitry of the console, and replaced the thermal barriers on the wiring." She finished with a proud sense of accomplishment.

"... What?" Logan asked in bewilderment, having not understood a single word of what the green woman said.

Peridot sighed, before opening her satchel bag and removing, what Amethyst called, her "nerd translator". A few weeks ago, Connie had suggested that the technician begin carrying around a small notepad, which was filled with the words that she would commonly use, such as " signal network", and words that she could use around people who wouldn't understand the technical terms, like "WiFi".

Flipping through the notepad for a few seconds, Peridot looked up at Logan and said, " I made the stereo system better."

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" He asked, before shaking his head. "Nevermind. I don't really care. Just, don't break anything, or my boss will have a hissy fit."

"A what?" This time, it was the Gem who was confused. Logan just shook his head and returned to taking orders for the customers.

Deciding that she could learn what a "hissy fit" was later, Peridot finished putting the café's stereo system back together. Looking around the small office, the technician was unable to find any other devices that required maintenance, and left, making her way to the café's main room. Taking a seat on a stool by the counter, she reached into her bag and removed the small entertainment device that Steven had given her to use, something designated as a "Gameboy Advanced".

Activating the device, she immersed herself into her game of "Tetris", being rather adept at the game, as she marveled at how its difficulty was derived from its simplicity. As she played, she was soon approached by Logan, who claimed that he was on break. The human sat down next to her, placing two cups a dark brown liquid on the counter. Picking up one of them, Peridot took note of the wisps of steam coming from the cup.

"What is this substance?" She asked, smelling the liquid and being met with an oddly bitter smell.

"It's called coffee." Logan told her, taking a large gulp from his own cup and remaining unfazed by the scalding temperature. "It's a drink that's full of caffeine. Humans drink it because it gives us energy and helps us stay awake."

Looking back to the liquid, Peridot took a careful sip, finding the bitter flavor to be very pleasant. After she had finished the drink, the technician felt as though she was bursting with energy. Thoughts racing, she hopped off of the stool and ran back to the office, immediately beginning to disassemble the internet router. Minutes later, she was putting together an improved version. Standing up, she turned to run out of the office to find something else to repair or improve, but was stopped when Logan entered the room, resulting in the technician running straight into him.

"Okay, Greenie, that's enough!" He said, grabbing her shoulders to make sure she didn't run away again. "You need to use that energy for something other than taking apart this cafe."

"Like what?" Peridot asked, literally shaking with energy.

"Umm..." The man thought for a moment, before suddenly saying, "Can you run back to my apartment, grab Toby and his leash, and bring him back here?"

"Why?"

"Because my shift will be over soon, and I was going to take Toby for a walk." He explained.

"Okay, okay, that's easy, I can do that!" Peridot said, speaking rapidly. With that, the Gem turned and ran towards the door, hitting the glass face-first when it didn't open.

"Pull to open!" Logan called from the kitchen, having expected the Gem's action. As Peridot left the cafe, the human thought to himself, 'Amethyst, your surprise better be worth going through all of this...'

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"You okay? Feeling alright?" Logan asked an hour later, walking through the park with Peridot and Toby.

"My head hurts..." The technician grumbled, placing a hand on her head.

"Well, now you'll remember not to drink so much coffee so quickly." Logan said smugly, looking away from the Gem. The small group reached an empty park bench, where Peridot collapsed onto it, body drained of energy.

"Why am I so tired?" She complained weakly, "You said that coffee was used to provide energy."

"It is. However, coffee, like time, will take what it's owed." When she looked at jim in confusion, he continued. "Coffee will give you energy when you need it. But, later on in the day, the same chemicals that gave you energy will begin to make you feel tired. Because of this, most people only drink coffee when they wake up in the morning. This way, by the time the chemical begins to affect them, their body has already produced energy to combat the tiredness."

"You should have told me this earlier..." Peridot groaned, making Logan laugh again.

"Logan! Hey, Logan!" A gruff but happy voice called out, catching their attention. They turned to see an old man walking towards them, waving, with a wide smile on his face.

"John!" Logan called to the man, "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in ages!" He asked, walking to meet the man in the light-blue uniform.

The old man gave a merry laugh as they shook hands. "The postal service had assigned me to work up at the post office. They said something about it being better for someone my age. The bastards." Logan laughed at his answer.

"So what happened? What got you back in the field?"

"Well, a few days ago, that young kid, Jamie, broke his leg." John explained, "So, while he recovers, they sent me back out. I almost want to thank the boy!"

"Yeah, well, it's good to see you again. I know Toby's missed you."

"Speaking of Toby, where is he?" The old man started looking around the park. "Toby! Where are ya, boy?"

Toby ran up to the mailman, full of endless- To Peridot anyway- energy, jumping and running around John's legs. As the dog begged for attention, John's loud, merry laughter filled the air. As he laughed, he said the most peculiar thing Peridot has ever heard:

"There he is! Toby: The Mighty Wonder Dog!" He yelled, petting the dog all over.

"Toby the… What?" Peridot asked, making the old man realize that there was another person with them.

"What- How long have you been there?" John asked the green woman.

"The entire duration succeeding your arrival." She answered.

"And you haven't introduced yourself?" The old man stepped forward, holding out his hand, "John Smith, Beach City's veteran postal worker. It's a pleasure to meet ya!"

The Gem shook his hand, remembering that it was common gesture in Earth introductions. "Peridot, former Gem technician and certified Kindergartener. I am pleased to make your acquaintance Mr… John… Smith..." Peridot trailed off as her mind fully registered the old man's name.

'An old, human-looking male, white hair, tall and skinny, and named John Smith?' Peridot listed in her head, staring at the mailman.

The technician reached out and poked the old man in his chest. "Doctor?" She asked softly, unaware that, to anyone watching them, she looked like a child who was trying to check if their favorite superhero was really standing in front of them.

"The what?" John asked, looking at the strange little green woman, "I think you're confusing me for someone else." He glanced at his watch, eyes widening at the time. "Whelp, it was nice meeting ya, Peridot, and it was great to see you again, Logan. I gotta finish my route."

"It was good seeing you again too, old man. We'll see you later." Logan said, speaking for himself as well as Peridot, who was still staring at John's retreating figure.

Logan turned to Peridot. "What was that all about?" He asked, bringing her back to reality.

"Uh… It was nothing." She answered. The human looked at her suspiciously, but his cellphone began ringing, taking his attention away from the Gem.

"Well, the Crystal Gems are back." He told her a few minutes later, "I guess it's about time we head back to the temple." Putting Toby on his leash, the two left the park, Peridot not saying a word the entire time.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I found him." Peridot said suddenly, making Connie look at her. The human paused the episode of "Doctor Who", ensuring that they didn't miss a second of the season finale.

"You found who?"

"The Doctor."

Connie's eyes widened. "What do you mean? Where did you find him?"

"At the park. He was masquerading as an old postal worker named John Smith."

"Really?!" Connie squealed in excitement, "Oh, Peri! Tell me what he was like!"

"He looked different," The Gem explained, "But he was old, wrinkly, and very tall and lanky. He sounds nothing like he usually does, but there was no mistaking that it was him." She finished, her voice full of determination, leaving no room for any arguments.

"You're so lucky! I wish I could have been there!"

"I do too. You would have agreed with me. Hopefully, he will not leave before we can see him again."

Connie fell back on the couch, sighing happily, before suddenly remembering their show. "Come on, let's finish this episode. We'll have to tell Steven about what happened to you today!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N **Reference Contest!** I've hidden a special reference inside this chapter! The first review that correctly names it will receive these wonderful prizes:

1- A name/ face reveal!

2- A free story request!

3- A sneak peak at the next chapter!

Happy hunting, my little wanderers.


	11. Unlikely Roommates

A/N I'm an idiot. I'm a lovable idiot, but an idiot all the same. I greatly apologize for the lack of updates, but I was delayed by the holy trinity of nerd-dom: Fallout, Star Wars, and Social Confusion. I hope this chapter makes up for it, because I really enjoyed writing it. Be sure to review, My Little Wanderers!

As a side note, I'm really impressed with myself, as nobody guessed the reference from last chapter. The reference was to the 12 Monkeys TV show, where the doctor says, "Time will take what it is owed." I referenced this by having Logan say, "Coffee will take what it's owed." Don't worry, I have another contest prepared for the next chapter.

Lastly, I'd appreciate it if you went to check out my newest story, **The Gem Insurrection**. This will be a great test of my abilities as an author, and I plan on making a sequel once I'm finished. If you're a fan of rebellion, ancient conflicts, angst, the loss of hope, and/or the undermining of an advanced civilization, go check it out and show your support!

Now, onto the chapter! Fans of Peridot-angst, enjoy!

 **Unlikely Roommates**

"Sooo," Amethyst started, looking at Peridot, "How was your day with Logan?"

"It was just different experience than what I have previously participated in." She answered, not taking her eyes off of the book she was reading. "Overall, it was a… Pleasant day. I've certainly gone through worse."

Amethyst's room in the temple was what a junkyard wants to be when it grows up, and the purple Gem is enormously proud of this fact. Mountains of objects- Old and new, working and broken, magical and technological- covered the entire realm. Towards the center of the mess, the two Gems sat on old, but surprisingly comfortable, fold out couches. There they would sit and talk about whatever they pleased, with Peridot wrapped in an old quilt to combat the chilly breeze that Amethyst has never been bothered by, and yet constantly gusted its way through the room.

A few days ago, Amethyst had been on her way to get a midnight snack when she noticed Peridot sleeping on the living room couch, having recently stopped sleeping in the bathroom. As she looked at her, the purple Gem felt a sudden surge of sympathy for the technician. Amethyst had more possessions than the rest of the Crystal Gems combined, while Peridot could fit everything she owned in a small satchel bag.

The next morning, Amethyst surprised Garnet and Pearl by doing something she's rarely done before:

She asked permission.

As a result, Peridot found herself placing the contents of her satchel bag into an old, padded storage chest Amethyst had dug out for her. The purple Gem, in some rare moment of hospitality, had decided to actually clear a path straight to the center of her room, where she had placed the two beds, a pile of blankets, and a makeshift dresser. The thing that surprised Peridot the most was the surrounding junk mountains.

All around the little clearing was broken Earth technology from different eras of human industrial evolution. Steam powered engines, digital cameras, microscopes, everything! When Peridot had asked about all of the broken objects, Amethyst shrugged in response.

"You're a nerd, P-Dot." She had said casually, "I figured you'd find some sort of weird nerd enjoyment in this stuff."

The purple Gem hadn't been wrong. For the next few days, Peridot had refused to leave the room, determined to start studying every little detail about the foreign technology. When she had finally decided to take a break, she accidentally stumbled upon a large pile of books. Looking around, one of the organically-stored information files caught her eye, and she continues to marvel at the ingenuity of the words within, even as she talks to Amethyst.

Thus, it was with great reluctance that she pried her eyes away from Stephen Hawking's "The Theory of Everything" to look at her carefree host. "What was that?" She asked.

"I said, how about putting that book away so we can start your training?"

"Training?" The technician raised an eyebrow, "What training?"

"Duh! Your shape-shifting training!" Amethyst said with a mischievous smile. "If you're planning to start helping us on missions, you're gonna need to learn how to fight!" She began cracking her knuckles, making Peridot uneasy.

"How will shape-shifting provide knowledge on combat?"

"Oh, it won't." The purple woman shrugged, "But, where I'll be taking you to learn, you're gonna need to know shape-shifting to get in."

Amethyst hopped off of her couch and walked over to her guest, taking her hand and dragging her away from the clearing. Passing the large pile of books, the purple Gem grabbed a random one without looking, not breaking her stride. After walking for a few minutes, they arrived at a large, raised wooden platform in the shape of an octagon. Eight metal poles stuck out from each corner of the platform, and long lengths of rope connected them to each other.

"Welcome to the Octagon!" Amethyst said, stepping in front of the technician and raising her arms like a performer, "I hope you survive the experience."

"What is the point of this place?" Peridot asked, trying to ignore the last part of the introduction.

"This is where we'll practice your shape-shifting skills. Once you get the hang of this, then we can start teaching you how to fight." Climbing onto the platform, she held out her hand. "Come on, let's get started."

Letting herself be pulled up, Peridot walked to the center of the Octagon and sat down across from Amethyst. "Where will we begin?" She asked.

Amethyst slammed the book down, opening it and flipping through its contents. Looking at the pages, Peridot could see the pictures of various Earth animals. Finally, the purple woman stopped on a specific page, smiling at the technician.

"This should be a good start." She said, showing her guest the picture, "After all, you said that you've met Toby already."

On the page, Peridot saw a picture of a pitbull, which looked remarkably similar to Logan's pet. Standing up, Amethyst began doing some small stretches. "Have you ever tried shape-shifting before?"

"Negative." Peridot shook her head, "I am a Peridot, a technician. Our tasks were purely mechanical in nature. Shape-shifting was not a required skill."

"Really?" Amethyst was actually a bit surprised; Peridot might like to talk about Homeworld, but she never actually talked about what SHE did on Homeworld.

"Affirmative." The technician nodded, "For the sake of efficiency, you shall assume that Homeworld is the cause of all of my combat inadequa-"

"You can't summon your Gem weapon, can you?" Amethyst asked with a knowing smile.

"I-You-Why-I-!" Amethyst erupted into hysterical laughter at Peridot's flustered stuttering. The technician blushed in embarrassment, cheeks turning a dark green. "It's not funny! Stop laughing at me!" She yelled, crossing her arms and turning away.

Seeing this, Amethyst tried to quickly control her laughter. "Peridot? Now what's wrong?"

Peridot refused to look at her, staying silent as she studied a mountain of old Gem weaponry.

"Peridot? I didn't mean to hurt you. If it really means that much to you, we can work on summoning your weapon before we do sha-"

"This isn't about my weapon!" Peridot interrupted coldly, "It's about being useless!" The purple woman could hear the tears that the technician was trying to hold back, watching as she began shaking slightly.

"Peridot, I don't think yo-"

"It doesn't matter what you think!" Peridot spun around, the tears now flowing freely down her cheeks. She ripped her visor off, clutching it in her hands, before throwing it as far as she could. "I'm useless! I was useless to Homeworld! I'm useless to Earth! I'm useless to the Crystal Gems!"

"Per-"

"Just look at me." Her voice grew quiet. "I can't fight. I can't shape-shift. I can't summon. I don't even know how to bubble objects!"

"Peridot!" Amethyst yelled, grabbing the green Gem's shoulders and shaking her. "Do you really think that you're useless?" She asked softly.

Peridot wouldn't look at her, staring at her feet instead.

'I can't do this!' Amethyst thought in a mental panic, 'I don't know what to do in a situation like this! I can't even handle my own insecurities!'

As she looked at the sobbing Gem, Amethyst suddenly remembered a conversation she had with Logan shortly before she invited Peridot to share her room…

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Amethyst laid on Logan's couch, idly stroking Toby's head as he rested it on her stomach. A few feet in front of her, Logan sat on a wooden stool, working with an advanced metal setup that included a large pile of sand and a small furnace.

The Gem thought back to when she met this human. He had been on the beach, filling a sandbag with sand. When he finished, he carried the bag up the beach to a very similar setup, where an old man was sitting on a lawn chair and nursing a beer.

Then, he started his work. As Amethyst watched, she saw the fire, felt its heat as she slowly and unconsciously walked closer. Before her eyes, she could see the sand beginning to glow, first red, then white, as it slowly heated into glass. At this point, the man used a strange tool to scoop a glob of the glass out of the furnace.

Bringing the other end of the tool to his mouth, he began blowing into it, making the glass inflate like a balloon. The man pressed one side of the glass against a flat piece of metal, repeating the process until the glass was gradually turned into a blue-tinted vase.

Turning around, the young man brought the vase to a large tub of water. He plunged it into the cold liquid, rapidly cooling the vase as a cloud of steam erupted from the tub. The old man, whose chair wasn't even a foot away fromt the tub, suddenly jumped up in surprise, nearly dropping his beer.

"Jesus, Logan!" He exclaimed, looking at his companion, "Be careful with that stuff! You're gonna send someone to the hospital!"

"Calm down, John," The younger human, Logan, said to him, "Are you forgetting that I'm a doctor?"

"In glassblowing, Logan!" The old man, John, yelled, "You have a doctorate in glassblowing! I didn't even know that was a thing!"

"It doesn't matter what I have a doctorate in!" Logan argued through his laughter, "What matters is that people have to call me a doctor regardless of what they think!"

From that moment onwards, Amethyst always admired Logan Mercer. She admired his ability to force others to admit he was successful, as well as the beautiful creations he could make using such dangerous and destructive methods.

"She's rather fond of you. Did you know that?" Logan's question brought her out of her thoughts.

"Who is?"

"Peridot." He answers, looking at her through his thick-lensed engineer goggles.

"No she isn't." Amethyst scoffed, beginning to playfully rub Toby's neck.

"She is." Logan argued, going back to the soft glass he was carving with a small knife. "She would never admit it, but she admires your bravery, your ability to voice your opinion without thinking about the consequences."

"Why would she admire that?" Amethyst asked, completely confused.

"Because that's something she doesn't know how to do. From what I understand, on the Homeworld, she was only meant to follow orders. She never had the chance to voice her opinion. But, now that she does, she know what to say."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

Logan put down his tools and removed his goggles. "Do what you feel is right. If she realizes that your confidence does not waver when you speak out,she'll see that she's safe to do the same."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

'Do what you feel is right.' Logan's words echoed in her mind. Looking at the sobbing Gem in front of her, Amethyst raised her hand and did what she felt was right.

She slapped Peridot across her face. Hard.

The strike was sudden enough to catch all of the technician's attention. She stood there, too shocked to realize that she had stopped crying, and just stared at her host with wide eyes.

"Pull yourself together, Peridot!" Amethyst yelled while shaking the Gem, "Listen to what you're saying! You aren't useless, you're anything but useless!"

Amethyst thought about what to say next, coming up with an amazing plan. "You're an Peridot! Do you know what that means?"

"It means that I'm a technician." She answered, "Grown for the sole purpose of repairing malfunctioning machinery."

"Exactly!"

The purple Gem's agreement caught Peridot by surprise. 'What is this?' She wondered, 'I thought she was trying to convince me that I am incorrect about my uselessness?'

"Don't you see?" Amethyst continued, "If the Homeworld didn't have the Peridots, then they would have no way of fixing their broken junk! All Peridots are not only useful, but the Homeworld NEEDS them!"

Amethyst didn't know where she was getting these ideas, but she kept herself going. "And look at what you can do, Peridot! All of those machines you can make using spare parts and broken junk! That's not useless, that's amazing!"

"... Do… Do you mean that?" Peridot asked, as if everything depended on Amethyst's response. "Do you truly believe that?"

"Yes." Amethyst nodded, "You matter, Peridot. You're not replaceable- Nobody is. That's what made Rose Quartz declare Earth's independence, so that everyone was free to remember the Gems that are lost, instead of simply finding a replacement."

Peridot sat down, rubbing her eyes to wipe away her tears. "Thank you, Amethyst."

"You're not alone, Peridot." Amethyst said softly, sitting down across from her, "If you ever want to talk to one of us, just ask."

"Very well." The technician takes a deep breath, "May we return to shape-shifting?"

"Sure. Now, let's get started!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N Once again, sorry about the delay. This probably won't make it better, but I would like to ask if anybody would be willing to draw some Fan Art that I could possibly use as inspiration/ the story cover. Send me a private message if you're interested!


	12. Mythbusters

A/N Before I begin… Thank you. I want… I need you all to know that without the amazing support this story has, I wouldn't have gotten this far. In just a matter of months, this story has transformed from something I'd do in-between schoolwork into an incredibly well loved jumble of… mouth… sounds…

Anyway, I want to personally thank each and every one of my fans:

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And finally, the extra special rmlohner, who gave this story the most beautiful review on TV Tropes' Fanfic Rec!

Now, on to the chapter! This was suggested long ago by an anonymous review, so enjoy!

 **MythBusters**

"I do not understand the purpose of this program…" Peridot said, looking at the television, which showed two men constructing an odd device.

"It's MythBusters!" Connie exclaimed from beside her, "The name is the purpose!"

"I still do not understand…"

"Okay, let me explain it." Connie cleared her throat. "On Earth, we have these… little stories. Some of these stories, called myths, are about events happening that seem unrealistic."

"If they are unrealistic, why do humans believe them to be true?" Peridot asked.

"Not all people think they're true. Some people think they're real, others don't. So, that is when the MythBusters intervene. They find all of the information about myths, and then they try to recreate the events that happen."

"Why would they do this? Do they believe that the myths are true?"

"Not really. Instead of debating if a myth is true or not, they recreate it. Then, they evaluate different scenarios to try and test every possible outcome."

"I think I'm beginning to understand," The Gem said, "So, they devise a science experiment to prove or disprove the events of a myth?"

"Exactly!" Connie said with a wide smile, "Now, they're about to start the experiment, so shh!" The human shushed her, turning her attention back to the TV, where the two men were preparing to determine a penny's terminal velocity. Once the experiment was concluded, Peridot stood up, stretched her limbs, and turned to return to her room.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Connie asked, "You're going to miss the best part!"

"What do you mean? The experiment has been finished, and the results analyzed. What else is there to be tested?"

"Everything!" The girl stood up and pulled the Gem back onto the couch. "The MythBusters don't stop when they disprove a myth!"

"Why not?" Peridot argued.

"Because they always take the tests one step further. Now that they've disproved the basic myth, they're going to test if there is any possible way of proving it. Like, right now, they're attempting to find the terminal velocity of a bullet."

"Why would this information help to disprove the myth? I was to believe that the penny was the object that pierced the human skull in the myth?"

"They disproved the penny. Now, they're trying to replace the penny in the myth, in order to see if ANY object could possibly make the myth true."

"This seems excessive." Peridot said bluntly.

"Maybe a little." Connie shrugged, "But it makes sure that people finally understand whether or not a myth is even remotely possible. It adds a feeling of closure."

"The Gem gave a nod. "They ensure that any future proposals will have no scientific evidence with which to base a counter argument. Efficient, in my opinion."

"I knew that you'd find it interesting. After all, you seem to be one of the smartest people- Er, Gems- On the whole planet!"

"Actually… No. I am not." Peridot corrected her friend, "As much as I would enjoy such an honour, I must admit that, for as intelligent as I am in some areas, I am nothing but a pebble when when it comes to Earth science. Sure, most of it is similar, but the finer aspects of your species still confuses me."

"No, that can't be right," Connie argued, "Sure, you have trouble understanding some things, but you're getting better!"

"Oh, I am not denying that." The technician said, a proud smile on her face. "I am simply reminding you that I am yet to achieve the title. One day, your species will understand who is truly deserving of the title of the most intelligent on the planet."

Connie's phone buzzed, which made the girl sigh in disappointment. "I have to get home, Peri. I'll talk to you when I get the chance, but I have a HUGE chemistry exam in the morning, so I don't know if-"

"Do what is required of you, Nini." The Gem cut her off understandingly.

The human nodded before leaving, the technician now alone. As she made to return to her research, she accidentally stepped on the forgotten remote. She looked at the TV, then around the room, back at the TV, a quick glance at the temple door, back at the TV.

"... I suppose one more episode won't hurt."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Thanks for reading, my little wanderers! Sorry about the short chapter, but I've never really watched too much of the MythBusters, so my knowledge is limited. Anyway, I have a question:

Would you rather I post the next chapter, or finally type up the Thanksgiving chapter? Answer in the reviews!


	13. Theory of Everything

A/N Alright! Getting back into the swing of things! Thanks to all my reviewers, and enjoy the chapter, which happens to be my longest chapter yet!

I'm going through a lot of personal problems at the moment, so updates might be slower than usual. To make up for that, I'm going to give you the titles of the next few chapters:

 **The Theory of Everything**

 **Where Do I Put the Star?!**

 **Crawl Out Through the Fallout**

 **The Origin of the Moon**

 **The Ancient Mercury**

 **Lunchtime With Logan,** and

 **To The Kindergarden**

 **Reference Contest!** I've hidden a special reference inside this chapter! The first review that correctly names it will receive these wonderful prizes:

1- A name/ face reveal!

2- A free story request!

3- A sneak peak at the next chapter!

Happy hunting, my little wanderers.

 **The Theory of Everything**

Peridot took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She clutched the book tightly to her chest, watching as the line in front of her slowly became shorter.

"Relax, Peridot." Pearl said from beside her, her words having the opposite effect on the technician.

"Relax?! How can I relax?!" Peridot panicked, "I am about to converse with the only human whose intelligence I have the utmost respect for!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

 **Two Weeks Earlier…**

"Hey John! What are you doing here?" Amethyst asked the old mailman, who was trudging his way up the beach.

"My job!" He answered when he reached the steps, breathing heavily. "Now that I know about this place, I can deliver all that mail for Steven Universe that's been building up." John gestured to his overflowing mailbag.

"Mr. Smith!" Pearl exclaimed, having come outside to investigate Amethyst's yelling, "You know you shouldn't be pushing yourself like this, it's unhealthy!"

"I'm fine!" The human laughed at her concern, "I've been doing this for over 40 years. It'll take a lot more than this to stop me."

"Well, at least let me bring the mail to Steven." Pearl offered.

"No can do, ma'am." He shook his head, "The mail can only be delivered by an official postal worker. Besides," He said with a smile, "I have a special letter for our green friend."

"Peridot got mail?!" Amethyst asked in disbelief, "From who?"

"You'll find out in this minute." With that, John climbed the steps to the beach house. Opening the door, he was greeted with the sight of Peridot writing on a large chalkboard. As she did so, Steven and a young Indian girl he hasn't met before sat in front of a laptop, their attention constantly switching from the screen to the technician.

Walking closer, John adjusted his glasses and found himself pleasantly surprised. What his old eyes had originally seen as white scribbles were in fact lines and lines of numbers and formulas that were written in a very small size. Peridot moved back and forth, adding more and more to the chalkboard.

"Peridot?" The man said, making the technician jump in surprise and drop her chalk.

"D-Doctor?" Peridot asked in a confused panic, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm delivering some mail. And for the last time, I'm not a doctor!"

"Mail?" Steven asked in confusion, before bursting into a bright smile. "You mean my packages?!"

"See for yourself!" John laughed, dumping the entire contents of his mailbag onto the floor.

As the boy and his friend began sifting through the large pile of boxes and envelopes, the old man walked over to the green woman. "Well, Peridot," He started, taking a letter out of the pocket inside of his vest, "Looks like you've gotten some mail yourself."

Taking the envelope, Peridot looked at it. A name written at the top left corner caught her attention, making her gasp in surprise.

 _Stephen Hawkings._

"Oh! It looks like Stephen and his secretary finally received my letter." Pearl said, looking over Peridot's shoulder.

"What… What do you mean?" Peridot managed to say through the whirlwind of emotions that she was experiencing.

"Well, I took notice of your recent interest in quantum mechanics and theoretical physics. So, I took the liberty of writing a letter to Earth's leading scientist fields, asking him if he would be interested in meeting an extraterrestrial technician." Pearl calmly and casually explained.

Without another word, Peridot tore open the envelope, hurriedly unfolding the letter inside. AS the others looked at her, she read the printed words aloud.

 _Peridot_

 _I am having my assistant type this letter in regards to a request made by the Crystal Gem known as Pearl._

 _I am to believe that you are very knowledgeable technician, and have recently taken an interest in quantum mechanics and theoretical physics. On this note, Pearl has informed me that you exhibit extreme prowess in the fields that I have dedicated my life to, and I wish to hear what you know about these subjects._

 _If my math is correct, this letter will arrive exactly two weeks before I plan to give a lecture in Stockholm, Sweden. If you are interested, I have had my assistant include two invitations to my lecture inside of this envelopes._

 _Sincerely- Stephen W Hawkings_

Rereading the letter, Peridot picked up the abandoned envelope and removed the two invitations.

"So, what do you think?" Pearl asked excitedly, looking at the shellshocked technician, "How would you like to attend a lecture by Stephen Hawking himself?"

"I… I don't know..." Peridot answered in a soft voice. Without another word, the green Gem took both the letter and the invitations and walked over to the temple door, making her way into Amethyst and her's shared room.

"Oh dear..." Pearl sighed, turning to John. "Mr. Smith, I'm sorry about this, but would you mind keeping an eye on Steven and Connie for a minute?"

"Say no more, Pearl. This was the last trip I had to make today. I have plenty of time." The old man assured her.

"Thank you. Amethyst, come on. I have a feeling I'm going to need your help for this."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Peridot didn't know what to do.

In her hands, she held the key to a full day of nothing but pure scientific endeavors, as as well as surrounding herself with the most intellectual members of the human species.

But…

If she goes… She would be left alone with Pearl, in a location even more foreign than Beach City, with no knowledge on what to do if a problem arises between them.

Not that she had a problem with Pearl. It's just that, since Garnet has shown her own willingness to trust Peridot, and Amethyst' open acceptance of the technician, Pearl is the only Crystal Gem to harbour any remaining feelings of uncertainty towards her. At times, Peridot wonders if the pale Gem still sees her as nothing more than a prisoner, despite the freedoms she has been granted.

"Peridot!" A voice called out.

The technician tore her eyes away from the letter, looking around for the source of the call. Turning to the entrance of what Amethyst affectionately called, "The Party Zone", Peridot saw her roommate leading Pearl into their clearing. The two Crystal Gems spotted the green woman sitting on her bed, quickly making their way over to her.

"Peridot! What was that all about?" Amethyst asked, looking at her roommate in concern.

"Nothing..." She answered softly, "Nothing important."

"Are you sure, Peridot?" Pearl asked.

The question was expected, but the technician was surprised by the tone in which the pale Gem asked. If Peridot was correct, she would think that Pearl sounded almost… Concerned.

'I am imagining things.' Peridot told herself, 'I am only a prisoner to her, and it would be counter-productive to believe otherwise.'

"Peridot," Amethyst spoke up, "Is there something you want to talk about?"

After a few moments of silence, the technician nodded her head, leading Amethyst to ask Pearl for some privacy. Once they were alone, Amethyst sat down next to the green Gem, softly asking, "What's wrong?"

"... I can't go to the lecture..." Peridot said, her voice barely above a whisper.

The purple Gem's eyes widened. "Why not? Is it because of those science-guys?" Her voice suddenly became defensive. "Peridot, you're just as smart as those guys! No, you're even smarter than them! And if anyone tries to-"

"No!" Peridot interrupted her, "It's not like that!"

"... Oh..." Amethyst said, sounding embarrassed, "Well, if that's not the problem, what is?"

"Pearl."

"Pearl?!" The purple Gem exclaimed, "What do you mean, Pearl?"

"She does not care about me." Peridot explained, trying to keep the sadness out of her voice, "After all that I have done, she still sees me as nothing more than a… A prisoner!"

"Wha? Peridot, you don't really..." Amethyst started, beginning to laugh.

"This is not funny, Amethyst! Why are you laughing me?"

"I'm not laughing at you, Peridot! I'm laughing at Pearl!" She choked out in between laughter.

"But you're… Why?" The technician asked, hopelessly confused.

Calming herself down, Amethyst was able to explain. "After everything that's happened, Garnet and I were finally able to convince Pearl to give you a fair chance at proving yourself. When she wrote to that science-guy you like so much, she was trying to make an excuse to have a bonding adventure with you."

"A 'bonding adventure'? What do you mean?"

"Like, when Steven took you to the arcade, or the sleepover at Connie's house, the stargazing with Garnet, spending the day with Logan, and when we started your shape-shifting training. All of these times, we've felt like we've bonded with you. Pearl is the only one who hasn't done anything with you yet. This science trip is what she had planned!"

"Re-Really?" Peridot asked in surprise, stunned by Pearl's show of kindness. In the technician's opinion, the pale Gem really knew how to perform at 110% efficiency.

"Yes!" Amethyst said excitedly. She stood up on the bed and grabbed Peridot, lifting her roommate and carrying her on her shoulder, running out of the room, yelling, "Come on! Let's go talk to Pearl!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Stepping off of the warp pad, Pearl gracefully spun around, , before spreading her arms out. "Peridot, welcome to Stockholm, Sweden!" She said, looking at her green companion.

The mentioned Gem stepped down from the warp pad as well, slowly looking at the foreign architecture around her. Try as she might, Peridot couldn't stop herself from staring at the beautiful buildings, the painted murals, and the smiling human locals.

"It's… Beautiful..." Peridot whispered, unable to look away.

"Finally, someone who agrees with me!" Pearl exclaimed, "Whenever Amethyst is here, she goes out of her way to make a mess of everything, trying to say that everything here is 'too clean'. As for Garnet, well… You know how she is."

"Affirmative." She nodded, then turned to look at the pale Gem. "Where do we go for the lecture?"

"The college is this way, let's get moving." Pearl began walking down the street, Peridot following close by.

After a few minutes of walking, the two Gems took notice of a small group of people standing in a circle. Curious, they walk over and see a trio of, what Pearl called, street performers.

The one that stood out the most was a tall woman with flaming red hair, wearing a black suit and black-framed glasses. As the Gems watched, she juggled a trio of red and brown mushrooms, babbling in a British accent about computers, volcanoes, and dinosaurs. The second performer was a man with dark brown hair, a deep, accented voice, a black and grey outfit, and a black mask covering his mouth and nose. Peridot was amazed by the elegance of his so-called 'magic tricks', making objects disappear and levitate, although the piercing violet eyes on the back of his shirt made Peridot a little uneasy. The third performer was the most terrifying, completely covered in scale-like tattoos and symbols. He was completely silent throughout his act, comprised of throwing knives and other blades at various targets, both close and distant, moving or stationary. Although he seemed devoid of emotion, he occasionally flashed a smile, showing his menacingly sharpened teeth.

Eventually, they left the performance, finally arriving at the college. Showing their tickets, the two Gems were guided to a large lecture hall, filled with some of Earth's greatest scientists. Taking their seats, they prepared themselves to be submerged in an ocean of science.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Peridot took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She clutched the book tightly to her chest, watching as the line in front of her slowly became shorter.

"Relax, Peridot." Pearl said from beside her, her words having the opposite effect on the technician.

"Relax?! How can I relax?!" Peridot panicked, "I am about to converse with the only human whose intelligence I have the utmost respect for!" As a result of her panic, the two Gems failed to notice a disappointed groan from the line in front of them, which began to slowly disperse.

"That's not true, what about Connie? Just the other day, you said that she was highly intelligent."

"Yes, by human standards relative to her age. Stephen W Hawking is intelligent even by Gem standards! His intellect is not only impressive, but ambitious!" The green woman complimented.

" _Thank you, ma'am. I am often called intelligent, but very rarely ambitious._ " A mechanical voice spoke up from behind them.

Slowly, Peridot turned around, coming face-to-face with Stephen Hawking himself, as well as his assistant, who was standing behind the physicist with a wide smile.

"M-Mr. Hawking..." Peridot stuttered, staring at the man.

"Hello, Stephen." Pearl greeted, stepping in front of the green woman to give her time to compose herself. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Likewise, Pearl. It has been far too long since we have last met in person." Stephen agreed.

"Wait, you know each other?!" Peridot exclaimed, having regained her composure and jumped out from behind the pale Gem.

"Yes. I like to keep in touch with most of Earth's leading scientists, Stephen being one of them." Pearl casually explained.

"We have to apologise, Pearl and Peridot," Stephen's assistant spoke up, "But Mr. Hawking has a doctor's appointment that was rescheduled for today. I'm afraid that we won't be able to discuss theories today."

Peridot's shoulders slumped as she frowned in disappointment.

"However," The assistant continued, "Mr. Hawking has allowed me to sign a copy of his book for you." Peridot perks up, holding the book in her hands while she holds her old copy under her arm. Opening the book, she raises an eyebrow, turning back to the assistant. "Why are the blank spaces in between the words so large?" She asks.

"For notes." Stephen speaks up, "I understand that your species has a greater understanding of the sciences than we humans do. The spaces give you room to make corrections or suggestions to my work."

"... Thank you, Stephen..." Peridot says softly, flipping through the book. As they left the college, the technician had only one thought on her mind.

'I have work to do.'

XXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N I hope you enjoyed, my little wanderers! Make sure to leave a review!


	14. Where Do I Put The Star!

A/N Hello again, my little wanderers! Time for chapter 14! Now, this is an idea that's been bouncing around in my empty little nerd-brain since I saw a picture on iFunny. Now, I have seen TONS of beautiful fan-art on this topic, but this is my own take on it.

Well, it seems that I have, once again, outsmarted the viewers! The reference from last chapter was the trio of circus performers, who were the Yogscast's Blackrock Trio: Rythian the Endermage, Zoeya the Technomage, and Teep the Mute Dinosaur Archer. Yay! I was clever!

The closest to getting the correct answer was LeWallaby, who decided that the reference included the circus performers, but they couldn't accurately specify the entire reference.

 **Reference Contest!** I've hidden a special reference inside this chapter! The first review that correctly names it will receive these wonderful prizes:

1- A name/ face reveal!

2- A free story request!

3- A sneak peak at the next chapter!

 **Be Warned!** There's more than ONE reference in this chapter!

Happy hunting, my little wanderers.

 **Where Do I Put the Star?!**

'What is this?... What is this, please?...' Peridot thought, looking around at the strange land she's found herself in.

"This is you, Peridot." A happy, feminine voice echoed throughout the cloudy pink landscape. "This is who you truly are!" The voice gave a bubbly laugh, one that made a wave of understanding wash over the technician.

'Where are… Where's your body?' Peridot tried to look for the source of the voice and discovered that _she_ didn't even have a body. 'Why am I- Where's my- What's happening?!' She panicked.

"You're regenerating, Peridot." The voice explained to her. "Don't you remember? Try to think back to what happened." Try as she might, Peridot couldn't shake the feeling that she's heard this voice before.

Instead, she tried to remember what had put her in this situation. They were having a party… There had been people there, strangers, all loud and fighting with each other… Amethyst was there. She had brought Peridot with her to this party. She couldn't remember why…

Shape-Shifting. Amethyst wanted to test Peridot's shape-shifting. They had turned into "Teenagers", as the purple Gem had called it. There were lights, bright and flashing and of all colors. Then the music, the dubstep, although it was slow and predictable- Nothing like what Sour Cream was capable of.

They had been separated in the crowds. Peridot was given a red cup of water. She remembered that it was an Earth custom to drink what is offered to her, but the water had made her mind cloudy and her thoughts slow… She remembered feeling the wind, cold and somewhat moist… She remembered something falling…

"You had fallen off of a large hill, Peridot." The voice explained to her, "You couldn't think quickly enough to brace yourself, and your physical body was damaged enough to be forced into your Gemstone."

'Am I safe?' She asked.

"Amethyst was able to find your Gemstone, and Steven has placed it inside of a cushioned basket for safety. He and Connie are taking turns watching over it. It's been about… Nine days."

'Why has it taken so long? I usually only need a few hours to regenerate.'

"I believe we both know why, Peridot… Envision your body, please?"

She did so, looking over the form she has used since she first emerged. Then, she envisioned it again. And again. And again.

"Have you found the reason behind the delay?"

'This feels… This feels weird… This feels wrong… Why does this body feel wrong?'

"That is the appearance you used while you served under Yellow Diamond. When your loyalties changed, you were never given the opportunity to change how you viewed yourself."

'I don't understand…'

"The insignia, upon your chest. It is the crest of Yellow Diamond. Now that you are a Crystal Gem, do you not believe it to be time to… Change that diamond? Perhaps change it into… A star?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Why won't she regenerate?!" Steven exclaimed, "It's been two weeks! Why is she taking so long?!"

The boy fell face-first onto his bed, sighing in frustration. Connie started to run her fingers through his mass of brown curls, doing her best to stay calm. Despite her best efforts, she could feel herself beginning to panic, causing her to shake her head wildly.

'Please! Please, not now! Steven is already falling apart, having an anxiety attack will only make things worse!' She pleaded to herself.

"Connie? Are you okay?" Steven asked, looking at her in concern. The boy sat up and gently grabbed her hands. "Don't worry, Peridot will be fine. She's a lot stronger than she thinks she is, and even smarter than that."

"I know Steven, it's just… What if she isn't? Not even the other Gems can figure out why she's taking so long."

He didn't respond with words, choosing instead to simply lean forward and press his forehead to hers. She closed her eyes and sighed tiredly, the stress of the last two weeks slowly vanishing into thin air. Connie could feel tears welling up in her eyes, unsure if they desired to flow down her cheeks in sorrow.

"I can't lose her, Steven…" She whispered, the tears finally escaping, "Not after everything that's happened… She proof that… Proof that the Homeworld Gems can be saved…"

Just as Steven was about to respond, the two humans were enveloped in a bright green light. Gasping in excited surprise, they watched as Peridot's Gemstone began to float, tendrils of light swirling around and beginning to take shape. Once it finished, Peridot stood before them, unharmed, although with a few changes.

Instead of her Diamond Authority uniform, she wore a form-fitting, dark green outfit, completely covering her arms and legs. Over this, she wore a dark gray vest, giving her an appearance of sophistication. Lastly, and to Steven's enormous appreciation, on the center of the vest, shifted as to cover the side of the vest as well, was a large, bright pink star, contrasting beautifully with the dark vest.

"Well…" Peridot began, "… I found a place to put the star…"

"You're back!" Both humans shouted, tackling the Gem into a hug. Unfortunately, they'd forgotten how close they were to the steps, tumbling down into the living room and landing in a large pile. Standing up, the trio began laughing, fear and anxiety completely forgotten in the name of joy and relief.

"Why did you take so long?" Connie asked, trying to calm her laughter.

"I was…" Peridot paused, unsure if she should tell them about the strange, familiar voice she had heard. "I was… Trying to find the right place to put the star. I wanted it to be perfect." She finally answered, not telling a complete lie.

"It IS perfect!" Steven gushed, his eyes full of stars of his own. "Oh, I can't wait until the rest of the Crystal Gems get back and see it!"

"'Get back'?" Peridot raised an eyebrow. "Where did they go?"

"We're… Not entirely sure." Connie answered, "While you were still regenerating, Ruby and Sapphire unfused. When we tried to talk to them, Sapphire just covered her ears and murmured something about 'The Whispers'. Ruby seemed really worried."

"A few days ago, the Gems used the warp pad, and they haven't come back." Steven finished, both humans seeming rather concerned.

"'The Whispers'? Whispers that could force apart Fusions?" Peridot shook her head. "I have no knowledge of anything like what you describe. I'm afraid I cannot help you."

"We didn't think you would…" The boy sighed, "I guess we'll just have to wait for them to come back." Suddenly, he perked up, a wide smile on his face. "Oh! I know how we can pass the time! We can tell you what's been going on in the Presidential race!"

"Oh yeah!" Connie exclaimed, "There's been SOOO much going on lately, and we need to get you up-to-date!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Mt. Everest. The tallest mountain on all of Earth, dangerous and difficult conquer; Few humans have survived the expedition to the highest peak, and even fewer have lived to tell the tall.

Fortunately, the Crystal Gems were not humans.

Only a few days after they had started, they reached the summit, and saw something that the few humans to reach the top had been unable to reveal to society below, the memory sealed away by a higher power.

The Crystal Monastery.

The Gems entered, closing the large doors behind them. The absence of the mountainous winds left them in an eery silence, their footsteps echoing as they walked down the aisle of the church.

"Man, this place is way creepy." Amethyst said, her voice cutting through the silence like a knife. "What're we doing here?"

"We need to find Father Stahlrim." Ruby answered, carrying Sapphire in her arms. "He's the only Gem besides Sapphire that has Future Vision. He can help her."

"Father Stahlrim?" The purple woman asked in confusion, "Who's that? I thought we're the only Gems on Earth?"

"Technically, we are." Pearl spoke up, "But Father Stahlrim is a different type of Gem, and the last of his kind. He built the Crystal Monastery thousands of years ago, long before even Rose arrived on Earth. From here, he has meditated for eons, focusing his Future Vision. According to Rose, he has honed his Future Vision so precisely, that he can see only the future that WILL happen, rather than a collection of possible futures that COULD happen."

Before Amethyst could ask something else, the group entered the main chamber. On the other side, sitting in front of a large window and illuminated by what little light passed through it, was Father Stahlrim. Pearl and Ruby walked to him, laid Sapphire down on the ground before him, and sat down, closing their eyes and beginning to meditate themselves. Amethyst stood by the entrance, appalled that Sapphire was in trouble and yet her friends wouldn't demand the help she needed.

She wouldn't stand for it.

"HEY!" She yelled out in irritation, "We need help, you dusty old boulder!"

"Amethyst!" Pearl said in shock, her eyes widening in horror. "You have no right t-"

"You're wrong, Pearl!" Amethyst cut her off, "Sapphire needs help, NOW! We don't have time to sit around doing nothing!"

"You're afraid…"

The deep, scratchy voice- A voice that commanded respect and authority, yet also held a sort of wise kindness- Interrupted their argument. They both looked to Father Stahlrim, whose back was still turned towards them. "You're afraid." He repeated, "Afraid of what is to come, the secrets that will be revealed, and how those close to you will react…"

"What are you talking about?" Amethyst asked, a feeling of uncertainty washing over her.

Father Stahlrim was silent, moving his hands and holding them over Sapphire's still form. Moments passed, before he gave a soft hum of approval. Bringing his hands back to his sides, he began speaking, his words too alien for his guests to understand. Once he finished, Sapphire gave a pained groan, her appearance disappearing as her Gemstone fell to the stone floor, clinking softly.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO-"

"She shall be fine." Father Stahlrim interrupted the purple Gem, "In order to recover properly, she must remain within her Gemstone." He picked up the deep blue jewel and handed it to Ruby, who cradled her lover in her arms. "In the meantime, I suggest you take care of her. She will be needed for what is to come."

Amethyst stormed out of the church, fuming in anger as Ruby followed her. Pearl stayed behind, looking at the Ancient Geminoid priest as he finally stood up. "How long has it been, Pearl?"

"Nearly 5,000 years, Father."

"And what do you see when you look at the humans?"

"Hope. For every failure, their ambition only grows stronger."

"Good." He nods to her, "Now go. This world needs you far more than you know."

"Yes, Father." Pearl bowed to the Ancient Geminoid before leaving the cathedral. Father Stahlrim gave a tired sigh, walking over to the small statue that was placed upon a pedestal, hidden in a dark corner. He fell to his knees before the altar, closing his eyes and praying to his Goddess.

"My Graceful Crystal, grant your faithful children the strength they require for the events that are to come. Your wisdom and clarity will be necessary if they are to survive the impending war… Peridot radiates with your purity, and grows greater with every trial she faces… I thank you for your gifts, and pledge myself to you." The Ancient finished his prayer, returning to his meditation.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N Now, you may be wondering where I'm going with this. Trust me, this is gonna be awesome. I can't guarantee that you'll like it, but it WILL be awesome.


	15. Crawl Out Through The Fallout

A/N Hello, my little wanderers! I have great news! We FINALLY have a winner for my reference contests! Yay! Congratulations to _Kazoo can do anything_ , who will be the recipient of a story request! Now, Kazoo, seeing as Lapidot does not fit within this story, I will be posting your oneshot as a separate story.

In other news, I finally have a Twitter account! Follow me at LoneErotic for Nerd-Versations, Story Alerts, and an Amazing THIRD Thing! *Gasps* It's like a social media device!

Now, onto the answers! You may remember that there was 2 references last chapter. The more obvious answer was the one Kazoo found, which was Father Stahlrim. His name is a reference to the crafting material in The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim DLC, Dragonborn. The second reference was the dialogue between Peridot and the Voice. Anyone who has watched Avengers: Age of Ultron would notice the lines "What is this?... What is this, please?", " Where's my... Where's your body?", and "This feels... This feels weird... This feels wrong...".

 **Reference Contest!** I've hidden a special reference inside this chapter! The first review that correctly names it will receive these wonderful prizes:

1- A name/ face reveal!

2- A free story request!

3- A sneak peak at the next chapter!

One last thing! I've created a poll as to what story I should work on next! Make sure to check it out and vote! A few of them I have started a bit, but others are still outlines.

Now, I invite you to take a journey into the mind of a spaz playing Fallout 4!

 **Crawl Out Through The Fallout**

"Amethyst?" Peridot whispered.

"Yeah?" The purple Gem whispered back.

"What is Logan doing?"

"Planning and researching."

"... For a science experiment?"

"For a videogame."

"... What?"

"You know," Logan spoke up from his position on his couch, his eyes never leaving the laptop balanced precariously on his knee, "For a couple of highly advanced alien lifeforms with a theoretically infinite lifespan... You kinda suck at whispering."

"On yeah?" Amethyst replied, "Well, for a one lifespan, three-dimensional, five sense skin puppet," The Gem blew a raspberry at her boyfriend, her entire comeback rendered null and void by the immature action.

Peridot sat down next to the human, looking at the words on the screen. "'Running is noisier than walking. To effectively sneak, stay low and slow.'" She read, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just some advice on the game I've been playing." He answered distractedly.

"What game?"

"Fallout 4. Ever heard of it?"

"No."

"Have you ever watched Mad Max?"

"Who?"

Suddenly, the technician had the soldier's full attention. He stared at her with wide eyes full of disbelief. "What?! You've never watched ANY of the Mad Max movies?! That's like saying you've never watched Old Yeller!"

"What's an 'Old Yeller'?"

Logan's eyes widened even further as he tried to stutter a response. After a few seconds, he fell silent, looking at her with no emotion. He pushed himself off the couch, walked over to a black colored parallelogram, pushed a button, tossed Peridot a controller, and began walking to his room.

"Have fun. I'm taking a nap." He bluntly called over his shoulder before closing the door behind him.

Peridot and Amethyst looked at each other, before the latter shrugged and flopped onto the couch.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **2 Hours Later...**

"NONONONO! GET AWAY! Don'thitmedon'thitmedon'thitmedon'thitmedon'thi- NONONONONONO- AAAAAAAAHAAWAH?!"

Laying in his bed, Logan listened to the terrified screams and cries of both Gems. The human looked over at his dog, who tilted his head to the side, as if asking a question.

"Where do you think they're at, Tobes?" He asked him.

In reply, Toby opened his mouth wide, showing his teeth as he quietly yawned, before suddenly closing his maw with a pout-like whine.

"Yeah, the first Deathclaw makes sense." Logan agreed. The Marine sat up in bed, putting his prosthetic back into place before walking back out to his living room. There, he saw the two Gems looking at a loading screen with horrified expressions on their faces.

"So," He said from behind them, causing them to jump in surprise, "How's Post-Apocolyptia these days?"

"I don't understand..." Peridot muttered, "Given what research I've done on the creatures of this planet, it shouldn't be possible for such extensive mutations to take place in only 210 years."

"Well... The Deathclaw was being designed before the Great War, so the creature had a headstart in it's mutations." Logan reasoned.

"Ugh! This game is so hard!" Amethyst groaned, "You can barely go five minutes without dying!"

"Why do you think I was doing research? I've played every game in the series and I still feel it necessary to learn as much as possible. There are so many variables to consider, so every playthrough is completely different. What difficulty are you playing on, anyway?"

"... Easy..." Peridot grumbled as she crossed her arms.

"That's it? Here, move over." Logan sat in between the two Gems, loading his own save file. "I'm playing on Survival, so everything is damn-near impossible. I'm actually about to explore the Museum of Witchcraft."

On screen, the Gems watched as Logan's character entered the basement of the Museum. Immediately, the screen began to shake as growls and roars sounded from above. After a few moments of Logan's character remaining motionless, Peridot and Amethyst took a glance at the soldier, who had a look of pure fear on his face. Using his controller, he swapped out his combat shotgun, nicknamed the "Blast Back", and replaced it with a poisoned, quad-barrel rocket launcher, something he called the " Pilaf Machine", and began to slowly creep through the basement.

When he finally reached the first floor of the building, he saved the game and walked around until he found the source of the sounds: A large, Savage Deathclaw, many levels higher than his own. Without warning, he began to fire missile after missile at the beast, barely fazing it as it charged at him, the damage it inflicted being tremendous even through Logan's Power Armour.

Meanwhile, Logan's screams in reality were more than entertaining to the Gems.

Eventually, the human managed to defeat the Deathclaw. Inspecting the holotape left on one of the victims, Logan looked at the next part of the quest his Pip-Boy, before starting to whimper.

"But- I don't wanna- But it's- Whyyyy?! I don't wanna go to a Deathclaw nest! But I don't wanna be a horrible awful and SELL it! Aaaah, this sucks!"

"Um... So, uh... Which one are you gonna choose?" Amethyst asked him.

Although he continued to whine about his inevitable death, he started to make his way towards the nest. As soon as he placed down the egg, he ran back a bit and equipped his rocket launcher once again. Moments passed in tense anticipation, watching as the Deathclaw emerged from the nest, took the egg, and returned to its home.

The three players sighed in relief, laughing at how nervous they were.

"Yep..." Logan chuckled, "Never a dull moment."

"Alright, time for me and P-Dot to finally give that Deathclaw what's comin' to 'im!" Amethyst yelled, punching her palm in determination.

"Perhaps we should utilize V.A.T.S. more often?" The green Gem suggested, the two women beginning to strategize.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

A/N Well, I hope you enjoyed a thinly veiled account of my experience with the "Museum of Witchcraft" mission. Fun fact, Logan's reaction to the choice of endings was, word for word, my exact response. Those weapon names are really mine as well, and I'll list the rest for anyone interested. Remember to check out my Twitter, my little wanderers!


	16. Origin of the Moon

A/N I don't know why, but I have been typing these chapters faster than I can write them! Don't worry, this Spaz still has a few chapters to type, but I might need to slow down a bit.

As of now, there's been no winners for last chapter's contest. The reference was to Gravity Falls, in which Bill Cipher's first response to gaining his physical form was, "Alright, listen up you one lifespan, three-dimensional, five sense skin puppets!" Honestly, I thought that one was probably the most obvious one yet!

 **Reference Contest!** I've hidden a special reference inside this chapter! The first review that correctly names it will receive these wonderful prizes:

1- A name/ face reveal!

2- A free story request!

3- A sneak peak at the next chapter!

The reference this time around is _pretty_ obscure. Happy hunting!

 **The Origin of the Moon**

"Steven! Psst! Steven, wake up!"

Steven groaned, trying to ignore the whispers as he resisted waking up. He was successful, but only until whomever was whispering began to softly shake him.

"Whaaaaaat?" He groaned in tired annoyance.

"How are you not afraid of it?"

The boy opened his sleep-filled eyes to see Peridot looking out of his window.

"Afraid of… Afraid of what?" Steven asked through his yawns.

"Yunis." The Gem answered.

"You-what?"

"Yunis. The Great Prison." She pointed out of the window. Following her finger, the boy's eyes landed on the moon.

"That's not a prison, Peridot. It's just the moon. Go back to sleep."

"You mean… You don't know?" The green Gem looked at him with wide eyes.

"What don't I know?"

"The origin of Earth's moon."

"Wait… What?" Now fully awake, the boy was as confused as ever.

"Okay, I'll explain." Peridot sat down on Steven's bed, never taking her eyes off of the celestial body.

"Long ago," She began, "Approximately 50,000 Earth years, Yunis was created by the Ancient Geminoids, designed to be the perfect prison. It would use a combination of gravity, the strength of the rock it was made of, and the most advanced Gem technology of the time. The entire moon became a tool to be used for one purpose: Keep its prisoner contained."

"Who was the prisoner?"

"No one is sure. When the Ancient Geminoids lost the war to the Modern Gems, the information was lost with them. The only thing that wasn't destroyed was the inscription upon Yunis itself, which read 'Yunis: The Great Prison. If Extinction Is Your Desire, Prepare To Burn In Fire.' The Modern Gems were too fearful to discover what that meant."

"Is that why you're afraid of it?" Steven asked, "Because it can destroy everything?"

"No." She shook her head, "I'm afraid because outdated technology has kept something capable of mass extinction a prisoner for eons. If this being is as powerful as is to be believed, it should have been able to escape by now. Gravity, rock, and Ancient technology wouldn't get any stronger."

"Well, maybe the Ancients were more advanced than Homeworld thought."

"Even if that were true, you've seen the condition that the Gem moonbase was in, which means that there have been widespread power failures." Peridot stood up and began to pace around, hands folded behind her back. "Why? Why hasn't this being escaped?"

"Maybe it doesn't want to?" Steven suggested, "Maybe it likes being imprisoned?"

"Negative. Nothing ever ENJOYS being a prisoner, especially for that long. It has to be something else."

Steven yawned again. "Don't you think this can wait until morning?"

All of a sudden, Peridot looked very embarrassed. "I-Sorry. For waking you, I mean. I'll return to my quarters, now."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Uh, Peridot? If you don't mind me asking, where are we going?" Steven asked his green friend. They continued walking in silence until they arrive at an apartment door.

Standing in front of it, the Gem finally answered him. "If we are going to figure out what's going on with Yunis, we are going to require a militaristic opinion."

Knocking on the door, it was eventually opened by a bleary-eyed Logan Mercer. Looking down at them,he yawned before saying, "You better have a good reason for waking me up before noon on a Saturday."

"Yes." Peridot told him, "We wanted to hear your opinion on the moon. We believe it's go- Wait! Don't close the door!" She had to physically stop Mercer from placing the wooden barrier between them, using her foot to wedge the door open.

The man ignored Peridot's pained yelp. "Look, I had a pretty stressful day yesterday, and my mood wasn't improved after having nightma- Er... Trouble sleeping last night. You have five words to catch my attention, or I'm going back to bed."

"The moon might be evil." Steven said before Peridot could make things worse.  
Mercer just stared at them with a blank expression, then opened his door. "Come in." He said, gesturing them inside.

Sitting on the couch (While trying to resist Toby's playful nature), the two Crystal Gems looked at the Marine as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Standing up, he walked into the kitchen, returning with a cup of tea and a dog bone, throwing it down the hall to give his dog something to do.

"Alright. 'The moon might be evil'." He repeated. "What in the name of Morgan Freeman is that supposed to mean?"

"Who?" Peridot asked. Steven nudged her with his elbow, bringing her attention back to the topic at hand. "On! Umm, ahem. The Earth's moon, Luna, is, in fact, an Ancient Geminoid prison named Yunis." She explained, "I believe that widespread power failures might lead to equipment malfunction in the containment systems. If I'm correct, this could result in the prisoner escaping."

"Okay..." Mercer said slowly, "What would happen after that?"

"Well, there is little to no evidence to make an accurate hypothesis, but my guess would be... Mass extinction."

Mercer's eyes widened. He turned to Steven, "Does Amethyst and the others know about this? The moon being a space-jail?" He asked.

The boy shrugged. "I don't know. We didn't talk to them before we left the house... Is that bad?"

"Well, I'm guessing you came to me for a military point of view. Without all of the facts, there's not much I can do. Especially when it comes to... Gem stuff."

Peridot sighed. "This isn't good. This could be The Cluster all over again. Maybe even worse! We need to understand what the Ancients sealed within Yunis!" Peridot began pacing around the room.

"Look, is there anyone else we could go to about this stuff?"

"I don't think so..." Steven answered, before suddenly saying, "Wait! I might have an idea! Peridot and I will be back later!"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"What... _Is_ this place?" Peridot asked Steven, looking around the spacious cavern. She watched the magical boy place his hand on a podium, making the entire room light up.

"It's my mom's armoury... Er... Storage... Area? I'm not sure what to call it. But I've found a lot of cool stuff in here. Maybe she found some answers about Yunis?"

At the word "Yunis", a deep, dull sound, reminiscent of a cloister bell, rang through the cavern. The lights shut off, bathing the two in darkness. After a few moments, a bright pink ring of light illuminated from the center of the room, before slowly collapsing inward. As the light went out again, Peridot began using her Gemstone as a flashlight. Walking towards the center, they discovered that a circular staircase had appeared.

"... I think mom knew something about Yunis..." Steven said.

"Affirmative." Peridot agreed.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Alright, I hope you enjoyed, my little wanderers! For those of you who are curious about Peridot's new appearance, I've posted a (Extremely Poorly Drawn) sketch of the uniform on Twitter. Anyone interested in making an official drawing for me gets a story request and a high five!


	17. The Ancient Mercury

A/N Welcome back, my lovelies! I want to apologize for the short chapter this time.. Fortunately, I can promise that I have a much longer chapter already written, ready to be typed up! But, all good things have a down side, which happens to be an unfinished second-part to the next chapter.

Sadly, I don't have the chance to prove my cleverness this time, as I didn't insert a reference (At least, not on purpose). As for the super-obscure reference _last_ time, the warning bell when the staircase appeared was a nod to the Cloister Bells from Doctor Who. Congratulations to thebatboy for spotting it. Don't worry, you weren't reading _too_ deep.

I want to give a **Super-Special, Spaz-Tastic, Wandering Thank You** to Specimen 12! Since the very beginning, they have been giving their undying love, support, and loyalty to this collection! Thank you, Spec, and I greatly appreciate your messages.

Lastly, and I can't express my gratitude enough, I want to thank Vampire Tails. Your review was... Just, beautiful! When I began writing this, I have always dreamed of receiving a response such as yours, and I can't tell you how happy I was reading it. I actually CRIED! There is nothing I can do that will repay you for your words, but I hope my writing will be enough. Thank you.

Onto the chapter!

 **The Ancient Mercury**

Peridot and Steven slowly made their way down the circular staircase, the inky darkness forcing them to be careful as they descended. The light from Peridot's Gemstone did little to help them, the bright light barely piercing the shadows. Although it took quite a while, the two eventually reached the bottom of the staircase.

"Steven, if it's not too much to ask, could you activate your Gemstone Solaran?" Peridot asked.

"My Gemstone what?" Steven responded, confused by the strange word she used.

"The flashlight. Turn your Gemstone into a flashlight." She explained.

"Oh... Um... I kinda... Don't know how?..." He answered weakly.

"Figures." She muttered in annoyance, "Why would the Crystal Gems teach you such a basic technique?"

"Hold on, let me try something." Clearing his throat, he said, "Turn on the lights!" Although he half expected it to work, he was still disappointed when the lights failed to turn on.

"Hmm... I might have an idea. Steven, instead of saying, 'Turn on the lights', try saying, 'Sailan'." Peridot suggested.

"Sailan?" Steven repeated in confusion. Much to his surprise, the lights responded to the strange word, bathing them in brightness.

"OW!" He exclaimed, the sudden change forcing him to close his eyes in pain.

"Oooh, now I understand..." Peridot said softly.

"What? What does that word mean?"

"Sailan. It's Gemmish for 'Illuminate'. I was curious about how the room above reacted to the Gemmish word Yunis, meaning 'Container'. It seems that the lower levels of this facility are still responsive to the Rose Quartz Gemstone, but only when the command is spoken in Gemmish."

"Why would my mom do that? I mean, Pearl told me that my mom went out of her way to make sure that I could use this place. Why not change this area t- Ew!"

Looking down, the two saw that they were standing in a puddle of silver... Goop, for lack of a better term. Now that they had noticed the goop, they realized that it completely covered the floor, several inches deep. Crouching down, Peridot saw her own reflection as clearly as if she was looking in a mirror, yet the substance was still in a liquid state.

Her eyes widened as she pushed Steven back onto the steps and away from the silver goop.

"Ow! Peridot! What was that for?!" He yelled at her.

"Stay away from it, Steven!" She yelled back, worry in her voice. "It's dangerous for you!"

"Why? What is it?"

"Well..." She crouched down again, scooping up a bit of the goop and began smearing it between her fingers. "Liquid. Silver. Perfectly reflective. All of the characteristics of mercury."

"Mercury? Isn't that poisonous?"

"To a human, yes. My body, however, is a hard-light projection, meaning it has no effect on me." The technician stood up, looking around the room again. "This just isn't adding up. Why seal off this section? What was this room used for?"

"Maybe Pearl knows something about it?" Steven suggested.

"Maybe. Let's get out of here. We'll return to this another time."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

The hidden room had returned to its natural dark state. Nothing could be seen through the inky shadows, no matter how hard you were to try.

Thus, even if someone entered the dark room, they wouldn't be able to notice how the lake of mercury began to move. It began receding into the center of the room, a large pillar of the liquid metal forming. Time passed, until the being finally took shape.

He stood there in the silent shadows, before moving to make his final escape. He climbed the steps, reaching the stone cover to the staircase. Reaching out his hand, his form split into a liquid once again, feeling along the stone surface until- YES!- He found an opening, the young hybrid leaving the entrance the slightest bit unsealed. He pushed through, his entire body flowing through the flawed surface and reforming on the other side.

He smiled, leaving the prison and studying the Earth's landscape.

The Ancient Mercury had returned.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

A/N Well... That happened. I just wanted to quickly tell you about what inspired the character of the Ancient Mercury. So, I was watching "Join or Die with Craig Ferguson" on the History Channel (NERD!), and they were discussing how mercury was once thought to be the cure for an STD. Well, someone described mercury as something like a "Liquid Mirror". I thought, " Hey! That sounds super ominous! How can I use that?"... Yeah, that's pretty much it.

Now… I have a VERY important message for you all. If this chapter receives 10 or more reviews, I will be doing a face reveal for EVERYONE! Not only that, but I will also be doing a reveal of **Toby- The Mighty Wonder Dog!** The picture will be posted on my Twitter, but for those who do not have a Twitter, I will see about the possibility of a YouTube video as well. Thank you all, my little wanderers!


	18. To The Kindergarten

Alright everybody, time for the 3-Part Special… **Last Day of Kindergarten**.

There will be science, action, angst, and cliffhangers! I hope you enjoy!

One last thing! The final prototype of Peridot's new appearance has been posted on my Twitter! Go check it out!

 **To The Kindergarten**

"... This is why, if my calculations are correct, I am suggesting a trip to the Kindergarten." Peridot finished her presentation, turning off the ancient projector which she had used to provide visual aid for her reasoning. Unfortunately, the technician wasn't able to perfectly salvage the old technology, causing the projector to promptly explode in her space.

"Yeah… Um, are ya sure this is a good idea, P-Dot?" Amethyst asked the soot-covered scientist.

"Amethyst has a point, Peridot." Steven spoke up, "I mean, the Gems told me that they've already tried to fix what the Kindergarten did to the Earth. Even with my mom's help, they couldn't do it."

"Well, did Rose Quartz have the passcodes to the control terminal?" The green Gem asked.

"Yes." Garnet answered, "But Homeworld changed the codes shortly after the Rebellion began. We were never able to figure them out."

"Then that means that you haven't tested every possible variable. Luckily, Yellow Diamond felt it necessary to provide me with the basic passcodes. They may be enough to find what we are looking for, but they might open up a backdoor that I can hack into."

"Peridot." Garnet said sternly, "I understand that this would be your first official mission as a Crystal Gem, one that will be used to determine your eligibility for any and all future missions. Now, I need to know," The Fusion stepped closer to the technician. "Will this work?"

"If we can find the right information, I could pr-"

"Peridot." Garnet interrupted her, "Will. It. Work?"

"Yes."

The Fusion stared at her through her visor. "Okay." She said simply, "Everyone, we're going to the Kindergarten. Bring a lunch." With that, she walked away.

"Peridot," Pearl said, grabbing the green woman's attention, "Are you sure this will work?"

"Well, it could work. At least in theory. But, without that data, I can not be sure. The best I can say for now is maybe."

"Are you sure?"

"I dunno."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Alright Peridot. Lead the way to the control terminal." Garnet said.

"Copy." The technician said, leading them through the barren valleys.

"Soooo…." Amethyst drawled, "How's this gonna work, anyway, Dottie? Press a coupl'a buttons and- POOF! No more Kindergarten?"

"If only it was that simple. Theoretically, I could reprogram the Injectors to replenish the nutrients that were lost in the Harvesting process, but it would be borderline impossible without that data."

"What's so important about this data, anyway?"

"Standard Kindergarten procedures require that information be gathered on the soil composition of any and all data areas that would be affected. This way, the operators could predict which Gems would emerge from which area."

"So…?" Amethyst said, raising an eyebrow.

"The only way the restoration process would be successful is to replenish the EXACT nutrients that were. Sure, you could input nutrient values at random until one shows any effect, but it could take years for even the correct values to take affect. Every failure to input the correct values would add decades onto the restoration process. Too many failures, and the terrain would become permanent due to a complete overflow of the wrong nutrients. The only feasible options is to get the values correct the first time."

"Then it's a good thing Rose told us not to mess with the Injectors." Garnet spoke up, "There's been too many times to count where one of us thought that they were the solution, yet she ordered us to keep away from them. Even though we were right, it could have ruined everything."

"A fearless leader, as well as a cautious one?" Peridot said, "My respect for Rose Quartz only continues to grow. She seemed to be very intelligent."

"She was a great leader, and an even greater friend. I don't think I'll ever be as great as her, but I'm not going to stop trying anytime soon."

Peridot nodded, returning her attention to the task at hand.

Eventually, the Crystal Gems arrived at the control terminal, where Garnet had to break through the door, which centuries of neglect had left malfunctional. The Gems activated their Gemstone lights, navigating through the dark until they found the console. Peridot began pressing buttons, mumbling to herself, before kicking the console in frustration.

"AAH! This piece of junk stopped functioning centuries ago!" The green Gem growled.

"What about the data? Is it still there? Can we get to it?" Steven asked.

"This is arguably the least complex system throughout the Kindergarten Operating Matrix, though it is widely seen as the most vital. In the event of an emergency, all data is copied to a black-box hard drive. No matter what, the information _is_ there, but the hard drive requires a 30-digit access code, which I don't possess. As of now, the easiest plan would be to repair the Energy Grid, restore the console to operational condition, and access the data with my passcodes. Hopefully, I won't require the authorization code from the Lead Operator." Peridot explained, occasionally giving the console a soft kick.

"What if we _do_ require authorization?" Pearl asked.

"Then I'll have to hack into the system, bypass the security firewall, and retrieve the data manually. Luckily, all Peridots leave a backdoor into the information drives on all KOMs, just in case." She sighed, "The disadvantage is that it takes much longer than I would prefer."

"And what about trying to guess the access codes for the hard drive?"

"A 30-digit code, with 10 different digits to choose from for each digit. You do understand that we are looking at a total of **30,045,015** possible combinations?"

"We'll fix the console." Garnet decided, preventing Pearl from responding.

"Then it will be far more efficient if we were to break into two groups. I'll stay here to fix the console, Pearl will stay with me, while Garnet, Amethyst, and Steven work on the Energy Grid."

"I'll stay here." Garnet countermanded, "I can see why you'd want Pearl here, but she's the only one besides you who can repair the Energy Grid."

"Hmm… Agreed."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N** The calculations for the possible combinations are as accurate as possible, and it took a bit. BE GRATEFUL!


	19. Technical Support

**A/N** Welcome back! Before we begin, I would like to ask everyone to go check out my Twitter, LoneErotic, where a fan of this story, Kyosplosion, has made some absolutely BEAUTIFUL fanart of Peri and her new appearance! It's definitely worth checking it out, and making an account isn't even necessary! (I'm looking at you, Vampy!) While you're there, be sure to check out the hashtag #PeriVsTheWorld to connect with fans just like you!

Now, onto the chapter!

 **Technical Support**

"Sooo, uh… How's… How's it going? " Peridot asked nervously, trying to pass the time while she repaired the control console. Although most of the problems weren't too complex, there was only so much that she could do until the power was restored.

"Fine." Garnet answered.

"Still, uh… Still a Fusion?"

"Yep… Still a Fusion."

Peridot sighed, cursing her poor social skills. She stood up straight, closing the panel she was working in and stretched her limbs.

"Have you summoned your weapon yet?" Garnet asked.

"No… Not yet…" She said softly. Not that she hasn't been trying, but inspiration had struck, leaving her with less time to practice than she would have liked.

"Anyway, I see you've been spending an awful lot of time in the barn. Steven told me you won't even let anyone inside to see what you've been doing."

"It's… It's just something that's been on my mind for some time, now."

"Think you can tell me?"

"NO!" Peridot yelled, "I don't even know _why_ I built it! Let's just…" She noticed how loud she was being, and her voice quickly became a whisper. "... Let's just hope that I never have to use it."

Garnet didn't respond, which was perfectly fine with Peridot, sitting down and leaning against the wall. Some time later, Steven called them using the pair of radios he brought with him.

"Peridot? Garnet? Are you there?"

Picking up the radio, Peridot replied, "Affirmative. Sit-Rep?"

"Wha?"

The technician sighed, hanging her head and mumbling to herself. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Situation Report? Why are you calling?"

"Oooh!... Uh, well, Pearl said that she's repaired the Energy Grid, but the power isn't going out."

"Did you try turning it off and on again?"

Although she didn't receive a verbal response, the short delay followed by the lights flickering to life was enough to make her smirk in satisfaction. Standing up, she moved back to the control console, typing in her pass codes.

"Alright, as long as the authorization codes are not required, I should be able to downlo- WHAT?!"

On the screen, a large message had suddenly appeared:

 **WARNING!**

 **UNIDENTIFIED LIFEFORM DETECTED**

 **KINDERGARTEN OPERATING MATRIX OFFLINE**

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!"

"Peridot, what's wrong?" Garnet asked.

"Something's not right! The databanks have the equation of every substance in existence! What would be setting off the alarms?!"

"Whatever it is, FIX IT!" Garnet yelled, summoning her gauntlets as a silver fluid began to leak through the cracks in the building's roof. The fluid eventually took the shape of a sludge-like monster, using a segment of its body to seal the door.

"NOW, Peridot!" Garnet ordered, rushing the beast and slamming her fists into it. As the Fusion kept it distracted, the technician was finally able to identify the creature as "Intelligent Mercury".

'Wait a minute… Mercury…" Peridot thought to herself, her eyes widening.

"It was you!" She yelled at the beast, "You were the lake of mercury within the hidden chamber!"

"Chamber? What chamber?" Garnet asked. Her question gave the creature the opening it needed, wrapping tendrils of metal around the Fusion. Garnet screamed, her voice sounding deeper than usual. Roaring, the beast plunged the tendrils into her body, beginning to split her apart.

Petrified, Peridot could only watch in horror as the mercury creature forced Garnet to defuse, dropping Sapphire to the ground. Turning around, it crashed through the wall, carrying Ruby away as the red Gem struggled to escape.

"Sapphire!" She screamed, the creature forming leg-like appendages and climbing over the nearby cliffs.

Sapphire's pained moans snapped Peridot out of her trance. She ran over to the blue Gem, kneeling beside her. "Gar-Er-Sapphire! Are you alright?!"

"The Whispers… So… Loud…" Sapphire whimpered, not acknowledging the technician.

Fumbling around in her bag, Peridot took hold of her radio. "Steven!" She yelled in a panic, "Amethyst! Pearl! Is anyone there?!"

"Perido-Can't ta-Eing atta-Help us!" Steven's voice filtered through the heavy static, the sounds of a fight very audible. Before she could respond, she heard a loud crash, the static suddenly replaced with a deafening silence. Her hands fell limp, the radio slipping from her grasp.

Out of ideas, Peridot through her bag at one of the remaining walls, tears of frustration stinging her eyes. She fell to her knees, feeling as though her whole world was crashing down upon her. A few choked sobs managed to escape, tears beginning to streak down her cheeks! She opened her eyes, which widened when she saw the device before her, having fallen from her bag.

The Last Resort.

Picking up the grey remote, her thumb hovering just above the button, she took one last glance at Sapphire. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she pressed the button, the remote beginning to emit a sharp, high pitched beeping. She dropped the device, slowly shuffling out of the building, her posture one of grim determination.

She stopped at the edge of the cliff, looking down, unable to see the bottom of the ravine.

Despite her knowledge, her fear, her blank, emotionless mask, she could still feel her tears flowing down her cheeks.

She fell forwards.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N** Cliffhanger!


	20. The Last Resort

**A/N** Hello again, my little wanderers! This is the finale of my special 3-Part chapter, **The Last Day of Kindergarten**!

I'll be honest, I expected some frustration with that cliffhanger, but I didn't expect to be called _evil_! I was pretty happy with some of your reviews, and I just wanted to thank you for sticking with me through this little story arc.

 **Reference Contest!** I've hidden a special reference inside this chapter! The first review that correctly names it will receive these wonderful prizes:

1- A free story request!

2- A sneak peak at the next chapter!

Now, there are more than one reference in this chapter, so keep an eye out!

 **The Last Resort**

"Man, I forgot just how big this hill was..." Greg Universe panted, his legs burning slightly as he approached the family barn. Once he was a couple feet away, he paused to catch his breath, stretching his back a bit.

"I must be getting old." He said to himself, beginning to chuckle softly. "I wonder what Rose would say if she heard me say that..."

"Oh, you think _you're_ getting old?" He could hear her bubbly laughter as clearly as when he first heard it, so full of joy and kindness and banging.

'Wait… Banging?' He thought, looking at his barn. From within, he could hear loud bangs and crashes, as well as some glass shattering. Just as Greg made to open the doors, they exploded outwards, the wood splintering and breaking. Doing his best to shield himself, he watched as large metal… _Things_ flew out, flying through the air and over the horizon.

Greg stared at the strange objects until he couldn't see them anymore, at which point he turned back to what remained of the face of his barn. The doors were completely destroyed, and the objects inside were in a wide state of disarray.

"… MY BARN!"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Picking up the grey remote, her thumb hovering just above the button, she took one last glance at Sapphire. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she pressed the button, the remote beginning to emit a sharp, high pitched beeping. She dropped the device, slowly shuffling out of the building, her posture one of grim determination.

She stopped at the edge of the cliff, looking down, unable to see the bottom of the ravine.

Despite her knowledge, her fear, her blank, emotionless mask, she could still feel her tears flowing down her cheeks.

She fell forwards.

As gravity took its hold on her form, accelerating her descent into the shadowy chasm, she closed her eyes, listening closely. Past the sound of the wind whistling in her ears, past the sound of her shaky breathing, she heard the sound of rockets, growing steadily louder as they neared her position.

Peridot snapped her eyes open, the orbs shining with a fierceness she has never felt before. She watched as the large metal rockets flew past her, further down the ravine, clanking together with an echoing clash. As more and more rockets flew past her, a select few began to connect to her, flipping her body so that she was now falling feet-first.

When the bottom of the ravine finally came into view, she could see the rockets clashing together, rapidly forming a large metal creation. Peridot landed in the small hollow center of the machine, feeling the rockets connected to her piecing together with the rest of the contraption. As the last pieces finally came together, her Last Resort was finally ready.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ruby struggled against the mercury monster, trying everything she could think of to escape its grasp. She opened her eyes when she heard screaming, gasping when she realized that her captor had brought her to the closest human city, and was now beginning to destroy whatever was around it.

The red Gem redoubled her efforts at escaping, which only made the beast give a gurgling laugh.

"There is no escape, Crystal Gem." It hissed in a demonic, reptilian voice, "The priest and your leader have made me their prisoner for too long… But now, I'm free..."

It suddenly stopped moving, its body beginning to contort as Ruby felt her limbs melting into the creature. Once again, the creature had changed its form, becoming a sleek, humanoid monster, spider-like appendages bursting from its back.

"There are… No strings on me..." The creatures finished, giving a roar before it returned to wreaking havoc on its surroundings. It attacked without discrimination, bringing death to men, women, and children alike, while Ruby could only see the results of its actions when it turned its back to its victims.

Through the screams of the innocent civilians, Ruby thought she heard something whistling, but her thoughts were interrupted when the beast exploded in flames, screeching with pain. The red Gem suddenly found a clawed hand around her throat, his sharp teeth- Each the size of her forearm- Inches away from her face.

"What did you do?!" It hissed at her, beginning to crush her in his fist.

Ruby's answer was cut short as a large, grey robot stepped into view. She watched as the human-like mech swerved its limbs around, pistons hissing as the mercury creature looked at the newcomer.

"Okay, you metal clod, **STAND DOWN!** " The technician commanded, her voice being amplified by her creation. To her surprise, the Ancient Mercury actually turned to look at her, although he continued to crush Ruby in his fist.

"Oh look, the little girl came back to play." He laughed, his voice gurgling horribly.

" **Let her go you monster!"**

"And if I don-"

" **YOU WORK AT IHOP!"**

"... Wha-" Peridot's mechanical fist made contact with his face, knocking him back into a nearby building. Before he could recover, she was already on top of him, grabbing one of his spider-like legs. The upper body of the mech began to rapidly rotate, spinning Mercury in a circle, and then releasing him, throwing the Ancient as far as she could.

Flying through the air, Mercury landed on an abandoned street, crashing through cars and trucks, losing his hold on Ruby in the process. Finally regaining his footing, Mercury gave an ear-piercing shriek, charging Peridot and leaping onto her.

" **Get off of me, you bargain-brand Terminator!"** Peridot yelled, using the insults Mercer had taught her. She struggled, trying to pull him off of her.

Giving another shriek, Mercury began forming a claw-like tail, stabbing it into Peridot's suit and tearing away a large chucking of it. As he began to enter through the new opening, he suddenly felt as though he couldn't move, thrashing as best as he could.

" **HA! Magnetic field engaged! Let's take this someplace else!"** Peridot said, beginning to run through the streets and back towards the Kindergarten.

"You cannot win, little girl!" Mercury hissed, his form still struggling to break free, "I will have my vengeance, and your people will suffer, as have mine!"

Just as they made it back to the Kindergarten, Peridot's magnetic field failed, releasing the Ancient creature. He quickly leapt off of her, starting to transform again. Now taking the shape of a worm-like scorpion, he slithered over to her, striking rapidly.

Peridot's display began to report the significant damage to her machine, only stopping when she fired a concussive blast, forcing him back. She threw a punch, Mercury dodging her fist, but not the avalanche of of rocks that she had caused by striking the cliff.

"My people will rise again, and this time, we shall destroy our Gem creations! You will fi-" Mercury's words were cut off as Peridot grabbed his tongue, his claws slashing at her arm. Peridot tore it out, dropping it to the ground, then she grabbed as many of his limbs as possible, slamming them into the cliff and anchoring her arms into the rocks.

" **Chemical properties of mercury: It loses its form when exposed to heat!"** Peridot broke open the glass cabinet above her head, grabbing the lever within. " **I only have one thing to say to you, Mercury!"**

"I WILL EAT YOUR BABIES!" The Ancient roared.

" **SUDOKU!"** Peridot yelled, pulling the lever. She was suddenly ejected backwards, launched a couple miles away. Scrambling out of her seat, she started to run even further away. Behind her, she could hear Mercury's shrieks, before her machine violently exploded, the thermobaric explosive cancelling the Ancient's control of his body and destroying it in the process. Rocks shattering behind her, she was flung forward by the shock wave from the blast.

Standing up with a groan, Peridot looked back to the burning remains of her creation, beginning to laugh nervously.

"Peridot!"

She turned around, only to be tackled into a hug by Steven. Pearl, Amethyst, and Garnet walked up to them, all looking a bit worse for wear.

"You did it, Dottie!" Amethyst said, throwing her arm around the technician.

"Well, this mission _could_ have gone better." Garnet added, taking off her visor and looking at Peridot, "But in the end, you stood tall when the rest of us fell, and succeeded where we failed. Good job."

"I'm just glad that Ruby arrived when she did. Without her fire, we would have NEVER been able to fight off the weaker bodies that Mercury had used."

"… Thank you… For everything…" Peridot whispered, as everyone began to head home.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Deep down in the Earth, at the bottom of a nearby ravine, a small puddle of mercury started to transform into the shape of an adult human male. With ragged breaths, Mercury began to change into a worm-like creature, before rapidly changing into a four-legged form, then transforming into a large winged appearance. Lifting himself into the air, he only managed to travel a few yards before crashing to the ground.

"Look at what you've become, Mercury. You no longer even possess enough body mass to stabilize your form, much less shift into anything useful."

"So… The traitor finally… Decides to… Show his… Face…" Mercury gurgles, his reflective body constantly changing shape.

"Please understand, Mercury, that I never wanted this." Father Stahlrim said, walking up to the Ancient man. "Time and again, I have given you the chance to be forgiven for your actions."

"And you have?" Mercury sneered, "You, who turned his back on his own species? You, who stood watch over this pitiful planet while your brothers and sisters fought a war of creation? You, who prayed to an imaginary Goddess while the Modern Gems SLAUGHTERED OUR PEOPLE?!"

"My involvement in the war would have made little difference." Stahlrim spoke softly, "Yes, I possess the collective intelligence of our entire species, and yes, you possess the collective strength and power, but it would not have been enough. We designed the Modern Gems to succeed where we have failed. Your recent defeat at the hands of Peridot only proves this."

Mercury was quiet, looking in the direction of the human city. "What happened to us, Stahlrim? How did we end up like this? The last of our kind?"

"I have spent eons wondering the same thing, and I found that we were… We were wrong… We believed ourselves to be Gods, and were unprepared for the sudden realization that we weren't."

They stood there in an uncomfortable silence, trying not to look at each other.

"You know… I loved you… A long time ago, I was in love with you…" Mercury said, his voice soft.

"I _still_ love you, Mercury. I've been trying to keep us together for so long, trying to get us back to the way we used to be."

Mercury chuckled, bitterness in his voice. "We both know I have to kill you now…" He lunged forward.

Stahlrim raised his staff,the jeweled tip glowing brightly, before the entire area was enveloped in a blinding blue light. As the light faded, the last of what remained of the Ancient Mercury being reduced to ash.

"Goodbye, old friend…" Father Stahlrim whispered, a single tear sliding down his face before he wiped it away. "One day… You will come back… Yes, you will come back… But until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all of your beliefs, and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine…" With that, he made to return to the Crystal Monastery. Alone.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N** Whoo! That took a while to write! Well, I hope everyone enjoyed this little story-arc of mine. Make sure to leave a review for more chapters! I'm running out of ideas! NOOOOOOO!

Now, this was the 20th chapter of Peridot Vs. The World, so I am offering a special Q&A video that will be posted on YouTube! Leave any questions you might want to ask in the reviews, and I WILL answer them! There are NO BOUNDARIES, so ask away!


	21. Crystal Crusher Mk II

**A/N-** Welcome back, my little wanderers! I hope you enjoyed the 3-Part special I wrote, and I really appreciate the feedback I received. Before I give you the answers to the reference contest, I'm going to give you the list of chapters that I have planned.

 **Crystal Crusher Mk. II,**

 **Drive My Van,**

 **Party With Stevonnie, and**

 **Weapons Testing**

 **Reference Contest Answers:**

 **1-** Mercury's line, "There are… No strings on me…", is a very obvious reference to Age of Ultron. I don't know why, but that and a select few other lines really speak to me.

 **2-** "SUDOKU!" Is a reference to VanossGaming on YouTube, who screams this whenever he uses the nuke power up in **Gary's Mod: Guess Who?**

 **3-** "I WILL EAT YOUR BABIES!" Is a quote from the **Borderlands** videogame series, which is one of my all-time favorites, along with **Fallout** and **Resident Evil.**

 **4-** "We both know I have to kill you now." Is a reference to "The Dark Knight Rises", and is what Bane says to Batman shortly before his own death.

 **5-** "One day, I shall come back… Yes, I shall come back. But until then there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs, so that I know that I am not mistaken in mine." This is a quote from the First Doctor, and is a quote that can mean so many different things to different people. Thinking about it, I realized just how perfectly it fit the final scene, and I _had_ to add it in.

Now, before I start the chapter, I want to give you an update on an idea that I've been thinking about. Ever since I introduced the Ancient Mercury, I had an entire plotline based around him, but with his death, my ideas were destroyed. So, I am planning a 7-Chapter story based on the possibility of his survival. It will not replace this story at all, but will be the final conclusion of many plots I have talked about, such as the creation of the Modern Gems, the Ancient Geminoid/Modern Gem War, Stahlrim's arrival on Earth, and how Mercury escaped from Yunis. It'll be called **Kings Never Die** , so keep an eye out.

By the time I upload this chapter, I plan to have the Q&A video posted to YouTube on Friday, April 15, 2016, or a similar date. Check my channel at _**Aqua Creeper**_ to see me eat food, answer questions, and introduce my girlfriend!

 **Reference Contest!** I've hidden a special reference inside this chapter! The first review that correctly names it will receive these wonderful prizes:

1- A free story request!

2- A sneak peak at the next chapter!

 **Crystal Crusher Mk. II**

"Please?"

"We promise we won't get in the way?"

"What if you need help finding a tool?"

"What if you get hurt and need to regenerate?"

"I've built this machine once before and I was perfectly capable by myself." Peridot gave them her scripted excuse, beginning to grow annoyed by Steven and Connie's constant begging.

It had been two weeks since Mercury's attack, and the news media has been furiously debating the so-called "Crystal Crusher" that had "saved" them. On one side of the aisle, the Crystal Gems were being praised for, once again, saving humanity from something they didn't understand. But, there were also many who believed that the Crystal Gems were far too dangerous to be allowed to do whatever they please, such as building a giant robot equipped with a military grade thermobaric explosive.

At first, the Gems allowed themselves to be interviewed, as a way of defending themselves. It was quickly decided that they were out of touch with human politics, so Major Logan Isaac Mercer of the United States Marine Corps was asked to be their ambassador, on account having recent knowledge about both species.

In the meantime, Peridot decided that she needed another challenge, which led to her decision to rebuild her Last Resort, stronger, faster, and more powerful than before.

Back in the present, the technician was putting the finishing touches on the new blueprints, trying her best to ignore Steven and Connie, who were begging her to let them help her.

"Steven, Connie, I need you to understand that on any other project, I would readily accept your assistance. But the other Gems, as well as Connie's parents, have made it excessively clear that you are not to travel within 50 feet of the Crystal Crusher."

"Aww…" They both said in disappointment.

"Sooo," Peridot continued, a sly smile on her face, "Do you think you can take the television and the couch 51 feet away, and then tune into CNN? I would like to be up-to-date on the political race."

"Yeah!" The humans cheered, running off to quickly set up what they needed.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **One Week Later**

"No." Mercer said bluntly.

"But-" Peridot tried.

"No! I don't care what you say, you are NOT having a nuclear reactor delivered to my apartment! I don't even know why you would NEED a nuclear reactor!"

"Because it's the only option left!" The green Gem tried to explain, "Once I finished the blueprints for the Crystal Crusher Mk. II, I realized that my original method of powering the machine has been rendered obsolete!"

"So you order a NUCLEAR reactor?!"

"Yes! What else would I do?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe, and this is just a thought, WAIT UNTIL THE GOVERNMENT ISN"T WATCHING YOUR EVERY MOVE!"

Peridot opened her mouth to respond, but as she thought about it, she realized that he had a point. "I… I did not think about that…"

"I can tell." Mercer sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, Peridot, I'm from Philadelphia, so I'm gonna be straight with you. As long as you know what you're doing, I don't really care WHAT you do. But for the time being, just let me take care of the politics, and you can do whatever you want once I'm finished. For now, just… I don't know, just stay out of trouble."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Peridot yelled, kicking her toolbox into a nearby junk mountain. "I can't stand sitting around doing NOTHING! The number of ideas I have, the designs to be tested, inventions that I can't move past the drawing board because I DON'T HAVE THE POWER! Annoying, primitive, stone-age, inefficient-" Her rant dissolved into nonsensical screams of frustration, flailing her arms about like a child throwing a tantrum.

"… It's alright, little one…"

Peridot stopped throwing her fit, looking around her room, trying to find the source of what she had just heard. "Who's there? Amethyst?"

"… Father… Is she still there?"

Walking over to where she had kicked her toolbox, she cleared away some broken radios and found an old television, apparently playing a VHS tape. Rewinding the tape to the beginning, she saw a strange man cradling a human baby, a pink Gemstone within his stomach.

"Shh, it's alright little one… There is no need for tears…" The man looked to the camera, and Peridot saw that his eye sockets were completely hollow, a bright turquoise light glowing from where his eyes should be.

"Father… Is she still there?" She heard Pearl's voice speak up.

"Oh yes. I can still sense Rose Quartz within this child."

"Is Rose okay?" This time, it was Greg who spoke.

"She's not only alright, but she's as happy as I've ever seen her."

"Father Stahlrim, is there… Is there any chance that Rose will come back?" Pearl asked.

"Hmm… Not that I can see…"

"What?! But you can see the future down to the EXACT outcome that will happen!"

"Nothing is perfect, Pearl. My eyes are no exception. While I can see what will happen with pinpoint accuracy, I cannot see past what I do not understand."

"Then what do w-"

"Patience, Pearl. All problems require patience if they are to be solved."

The video ended, and Peridot was left to ponder on what this "Father Stahlrim" had said.

"Patience is needed to solve all problems…" She said softly, "Okay. I'll try that." Moving away from the television, she grabbed an arm-full of books and brought them over to her bed.

She was going to be as patient as she needed to be.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N** Alright, there's the aftermath of Mercury's attack! I hope this chapter didn't seem to come on too strong!

 **LoneErotic #PeriVsTheWorld**


	22. Beta Testing

**A/N** I'm back! Buckle your seatbelts, kiddos, cause this chapter is about to get AMAZING!

Before we start, I want everyone to go check out **Faster Than Light** , a story by a friend of mine that is gradually becoming more and more awesome. One of the more interesting concepts in it is the use of my "Diamond Council" theory, which I will actually be explaining in the next chapter, **History Lessons**.

 **Beta** **Testing**

"Ooow..." Peridot groaned, rubbing her Gemstone as it started to pulse with a dull pain once again.

"Moo omay, Ottie?" Amethyst asked around a mouthful of popcorn.

"Negative. I can't understand why, but my Gemstone will randomly begin to cause me pain. I've been doing as much research as I can, but resources are limited on this planet."

Amethyst swallowed loudly, "Ah, you'll probably be fine. For now, CHECK OUT CONNIE AND STEVEN!" She cheered loudly, watching the two humans battle the Hologram Pearls.

"They have become rather adept at combat, haven't they?" Peridot said, closing her eyes as a particularly sharp stab of pain pierced her Gemstone. Unbeknownst to her, the stab of pain coincided with the real Pearl activating her own Gemstone and summoning her spear.

Amethyst, while not always the most perceptive member of the team, _did_ notice that Peridot's pained winces seemed to happen at the EXACT moment anything awesome happened. So, bringing her hand to her chest, she activated her Gemstone. At first, she didn't notice a change in the green Gem, but when she began to summon her whip, she heard a soft "Ow!" from Peridot. She repeated her action again, and again, noticing Peridot's groans only happen when she went to summon her weapon.

It seemed like Amethyst wasn't the only one who noticed. "Peridot." Garnet spoke up from behind the two, "Head on down to the arena when Pearl is done with Steven and Connie." With that, the Fusion walks away before the green woman could think of an argument.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Garnet? What is this about?" Peridot asked, standing a few feet away from the mentioned Gem and nervously shuffling her feet.

"Combat. Amethyst and I noticed that your Gemstone began to cause you pain whenever someone attempts to summon their Gem weapon." The stoic woman explained, "So, I'm going to test a little… Theory."

"Theory? What is your the- OW!" Her question was interrupted by a sharp pain when Garnet summoned her gauntlets. Rubbing her Gemstone in annoyance, Peridot only barely dodged the large red fist that came her way. The pain suddenly grew far worse than ever before, making Peridot stumble under the onslaught of attacks.

"Peridot! Stop trying to force the pain to go away! _Focus_ on it!" Garnet said, charging her gauntlets and throwing a devastating punch at Peridot's head.

Screaming, Peridot bent backwards to dodge. Just as Garnet's fist hovered an inch above her Gemstone, the pain completely disappeared as time seemed to slow down to a crawl. The technician could see as each and every crevice of the gauntlet was individually highlighted in a bright green light. Information flooded her mind, a complete blueprint for Garnet's weapon being drawn in her brain. When the blueprint was complete, time quickly returned to normal, causing Peridot to fall on her back, looking up as Garnet raised her hands, preparing to slam them down onto the green Gem.

Terrified, Peridot crossed her arms over her face to protect herself, not noticing the green glow coming from her hands.

Steven, Connie, Amethyst, and Pearl covered their eyes, trying to prevent any dust from the resulting shockwave from blinding them. As the dust settled and cleared away from the center of the arena, a collective gasp echoed throughout the Colosseum.

Peridot opened her eyes, gasping from what she saw. Above her, Garnet stood, a small, knowing smile on her face. Looking down further, she gave a gasp of her own, her eyes widening at the sight of the bright green gauntlets that now encased her own hands. Other than the color, they were an exact recreation of Garnet's own weapons, even to the point of having their own yellow stars on them.

"Okay, that's one idea proven. Let's see if my other idea works."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"How did you do that, Peridot?!" Amethyst asked in excitement, stepping into the arena. "I can't believe that peridots can summon a Fusion weapon!"

"They don't." Peridot shook her head, "I don't know what happened, but I'm pretty sure I am NOT supposed to be able to use them."

"Save the talking for later!" Garnet yelled from the bleachers, "Amethyst! I already told you the plan!"

"Keep your panties on!" The purple Gem yelled back, unknowingly causing Pearl to shush a giggling Steven and Connie.

"Here's what's gonna happen, P-Dot." Amethyst began, turning back to the technician, "Garnet said to use my whips to attack you as I can. If I don't, she'll make me clean our room. SO!" She summoned one of her whips, cracking it loudly. Amethyst looked at Peridot with a wild smile, half of her face covered by her white hair. "I hope I don't hurt you too bad, baby." She breathed, her voice almost sounding seductive.

Peridot squeaked, jumping out of the way of the purple weapon. Scrambling to her feet and running away from the purple woman, she tried her best to ignore the mad, wicked-sounding cackles coming from Amethyst. She gave another yelp when she felt the tip of the whip land a stinging blow to her butt, making Steven and Connie laugh loudly.

Eventually, Amethyst trapped the green woman in a corner, sending her whip in an overhead arch towards Peridot. Once again, time seemed to come to a standstill for the technician, who watched as each hard light fibre was analyzed and documented, the molecular strength of the jagged rocks recorded, even the physics of the weapon's trajectory as it came at her.

All too soon, time returned to normal, Peridot rolling out of the way of Amethyst's whip and suddenly striking out with a bright green whip of her own.

The children began to loudly cheer, along with Garnet and Pearl clapping softly. Both Amethyst and Peridot dispelled their weapons, walking back to the bleachers, where they met up with an approving Garnet, a thoughtful Pearl, and an extremely excited Connie and Steven.

"You told us that before you summoned those weapons, you felt as though you were… Scanning them?" Pearl asked, cupping her chin in her hand.

"Affirmative." Peridot nodded, "It was as if time ceased its forward flow, and each individual molecule of those weapons were analyzed, the science, the physics, and the mathematics of all of them being collected and stored within my mind. From those calculations, it was as though my Gemstone forced a projection into physical existence."

"So, according to you, you're _actual_ Gem weapon is really a-"

"Replicator!" Connie exclaimed, "You can replicate any weapon that someone tries to use against you!"

"Something like that…" Garnet said, "in the right hands, it could be an incredible gift, but in the wrong hands, and extremely dangerous threat."

"Well, at least you're on our side, ya big nerd!" Amethyst said, grabbing Peridot in a headlock.

"Agh-Amethyst!" The technician choked, struggling to get out of the hold, "Let me go!"

"Never, you pansy!"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N-** FanfictionRewritten-S. and I have been planning a very big event with this story, but before we get to that, I had an idea for a little oneshot that I thought would be a nice contrast. I don't plan to make it a multiple-chapter story, but if anyone wants it to continue, I might think about it. Be on the lookout for **Jasper Vs. The Homeworld**.

Also, I'm sorry to say that I have lost one of my draft journals, Journal 4, and I had quite a few stories and chapters pre-written or in progress. I might have to take a short break to rewrite everything, and hopefully get them to to quality of the originals.

 **ORABC CX KANJT FRWB J BWNJT-YNNT JVM J ANZDNBC**


	23. History Lessons

**A/N-** I've always been a fan of theories, especially in shows like Steven Universe and Gravity Falls. The ridiculousness of some theories are very prominent, but the craziest theories also tend to have an eerie amount of evidence supporting them. This is an explanation of my personal Steven Universe theory, the " **Diamond Council Theory"** , that I myself have created. Some of you might recognize parts of this theory from FanfictionRewritten's **Faster Than Light** , and this is because I allowed him to borrow my theory. Most of my evidence is based upon pure logic and reasoning, as well as the characteristics and personalities of the Diamonds that have already been introduced in the show. I hope you can see the reasoning in my theory, and if you don't, I hope you can at least enjoy my thoughts.

 **History** **Lessons**

"Peridot? Can I talk to you?"

The green Gem turned away from the television, pausing her game of Fallout 3 (Which Mercer had graciously lent to her) and looking over at Steven. The magical boy had a confused look on his face and held in his hands a yellow spiral notebook with a large number 4 written on the cover in black ink.

"Is something troubling you, Steven?" Peridot asked, "What is that book you're holding?"

"Yeah, but only a little bit. This is Mr. Mercer's book, something he called his 4th Investigative Journal. I just wanted to talk to you."

"What is wrong?"

"Well, I was talking to Mr. Mercer the other day, because he said he wanted to ask me about Yellow Diamond. While we were talking, I told him a bit of what I know about Blue Diamond."

"I see no reason for this to be troubling to you."

"Well, I just wanted to see what you know about the Diamonds. You spent more time on Homeworld than the rest of us, so I thought you could fill me in?"

"Affirmative." Peridot replied, nodding at the boy as she saved her game and turned off the Playstation 3 (Also borrowed from Mercer). Sitting down across from Steven, the Gem said, "Now, the first thing you should know are the names of the Diamonds. You already know of Yellow Diamond and Blue Diamond, but there is also White Diamond, Pink Diamond, a-"

"And Black Diamond, right?" Steven interrupted.

Peridot choked on her words, eyes going wide as she coughed violently. "How-How do you know about B-Black Diamond?" She wheezed.

"Mr. Mercer has some notes about him." Steven said, as though it weren't a big deal, "He doesn't have as many as he does for Yellow Diamond or Blue Diamond, but he does have the name, something about masks, and a single line of strange symbols that look like this." The boy showed her the page, where she saw these strange symbols:

 **والغضب من وحش تستهلك كل ما واجه** **.**

"I don't recognise these symbols at all..." Peridot whispered, looking as if she were on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Peridot, calm down." Steven said, trying to soothe her nerves. "Look, just, start from the beginning. Tell me about White Diamond." He suggested.

"Okay..." The technician took a deep breath. "White Diamond, although his citizens know him as Lord Smoky Quartz, is the Diamond of the Supervision District. He-"

"Supervision District? What's that?"

"The Modern Gems were designed for, among other things, efficiency. In the name of efficiency, the Gem Homeworld was divided into 5 Districts. I will identify them as i name its corresponding Diamond. Now shush!"

"Sorry..."

"Now, the Supervision District, operated by White Diamond, is tasked with ensuring that all other Districts never fall behind on its tasks. It reports technological and mechanical failures, ensures that all quotas are met, and manages the distribution of resources to and from other Gem Colonies."

"Ooh, that actually explains a lot. What about Blue Diamond?"

"Blue Diamond, known to her citizens as Lady Aquamarine, is the Diamond of the Manufacturing District. It is her duty to oversee the production of Gem ships, Kindergarten Injectors, flask robinoids, and any other form of artificial object."

"Did she invent your giant hand-ship?"

"Negative." Peridot shook her head, "The peridots of Blue Diamond designed, tested, and finalized that creation, as well as hundreds of similar inventions. The rest of her people assemble whatever they are needed to based upon whatever blueprint they are supplied."

"Sounds… Really boring."

"Perhaps, but that is a discussion for another time. Next, we have Yellow Diamond, Lady Amber, as only her closest allies are permitted to call her. She is the Diamond of the Colonization District, which might be unlikely to surprise you, based upon what you already know about her."

"Yeah."

"The District of Colonization has the task of locating and identifying planets that are suitable to be colonized. Once a planet has been deemed appropriate, a squadron of Kindergarteners are dispatched to begin the terraforming process."

"And Pink Diamond?"

"Little is known in regards to the Pink Diamond. Approximately 20,000 years ago, it is said that the Pink Diamond betrayed the Diamond Council, fled Homeworld, and has since remained undiscovered by the thousands of search parties that are still searching for her to this day. Although many theories argue about her current whereabouts, it is unanimously agreed upon that she is NOT on Earth."

"Huh? Why wouldn't she come to Earth?"

"Because it would be unwise to hide in such an obvious location, Steven." At Steven's confused expression, she elaborated. "Pink Diamond was the head of the Science District. For millennia, she and her citizens devoted themselves to the advancement of all fields of science, be it physics, engineering, quantum mechanics, or radiology. Pink Diamond herself was said to have always held a certain fascination with medicine, and discovered many methods of healing."

"But what about Earth?"

"I'm getting to that! As head of the Science District, Pink Diamond was the lead scientist in the creation of the Cluster. She knew what would happen to the planet when the Cluster finished incubating, and so she would be smart enough to stay clear of the planet to ensure her survival."

"Oh… That… Makes sense..."

"Affirmative. lastly , we have… The Black Diamond..." Peridot took a deep breath, "Known by very, very few as Lord Obsidian Onyx, he is known throughout many galaxies as the High Commander of the Diamond Authority, the Warmaster of the Gem Homeworld, the Black Sun, or simply, the Destroyer. While any other commander would give orders to his soldiers, Black Diamond was unique in that he fights alongside his troops on the front lines. Any planet or species that attempted to engage him in combat was met with a swift and painless extinction.

"Black Diamond was the Diamond of the Military District, and his sole purpose- Genetically implanted into his very DNA by the High Commander of the Ancient Geminoids himself- Is to completely, and utterly destroy anything that stands in the way of whatever objective he decides to pursue. Unstoppable, untouchable, unbreakable, he is widely considered the… The King of Destruction."

Once she had finished, Steven was silent, staring at the floor as he tried to comprehend what she had told him.

"How?" He croaked, sounding as if he were on the verge of tears.

"How what?"

"How did my mom win the war? If she had to fight something like this, how did she win?"

"Rose Quartz was successful because she never fought Black Diamond."

"Wha… What?" Steven sniffed.

"Black Diamond, as unique as he may be, is still a soldier at his core. Just like any other soldier, he holds honour, discipline, and loyalty as his code of honour. When Pink Diamond betrayed the Council, he took it as a personal attack at his honour, devoting himself to shattering her Gemstone in his bare hands to regain that honour. When Rose Quartz began her rebellion, Black Diamond was convinced that she was receiving aid from Pink Diamond. However, Yellow Diamond saw the rebellion as an insult to the Colonization District, and demanded that she utilize her own forces to destroy Rose Quartz.

"Black Diamond allowed her to go forward, but made it clear that he would not provide any of his forces to assist her. Yellow Diamond and her prized General, Jasper- Yes, the same Jasper that had escorted me here- They believed that they could put down the rebellion themselves. As you can see, they were incorrect."

"What happened after that?"

"Yellow Diamond was forced to publicly admit her defeat, both her and Jasper being humiliated by their ignorance of Rose Quartz's surprising power. Black Diamond further cemented your mother's victory by refusing to attack, claiming that it was the consequence of Yellow Diamond's actions."

"Are you sure?"

"Affirmative. I spent many years under Yellow Diamond's command, which means that I was present more than enough of her rants about how Rose Quartz humiliated her."

"Wow… I… I never knew that my mom's rebellion did so much, even after she won..."

"I've only told you the basics." Peridot said, "There are still entire hard drives of classified data that I've never studied. The fallout of Yellow Diamond's defeat could possibly be far worse than anything we could imagine."

After a moment of sitting in silence, Steven said, "Thanks for telling me all of this, Peridot. I'm sure Mr. Mercer would like to record all of this in case it ever comes in handy."

"You are welcome, Steven. Let's just be thankful that Black Diamond has no intention of attacking Earth."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Pearl ran down the hallway, her centuries of experience with the ship meaning that she has memorized every twist and turn possible, leaving her unaffected by the pitch black darkness with which her Master insisted fill the rooms. She clutched the data pad to her bosom, her grip like a vice, ensuring that she doesn't drop it.

Rounding the last corner, she almost crashes into the large titanium doors. Opening them, she quickly walks into her Master's private chamber, a special aura inside of the room making the area lethal to anyone but himself and his faithful servant. Pearl quickly shakes off the feeling of entitlement that comes with being her Master's favorite, returning to the task at hand.

"Master!" She called out, frantically looking around the dark room. Although she couldn't see anything, she did not activate her Gemstone Sailan, her Master having an intense hatred for lights. "My Master! Your pet has news for her Master!"

Pearl shivered as she felt an icy hand fall upon her shoulder, feeling her Master press himself against her back. Against her will, her legs began to rub together, memories flooding her mind and sending heat to her core.

"What news do you have, my pet?" The hollow voice of her Master echoed throughout the room, making Pearl gasp when he spoke his nickname for her.

Trying to keep her composure, Pearl said, "The-The drones, my Master. They've fo-found her! My Masters drones have finally found Pink Diamond!"

Faster than she could react, the data pad was ripped from her grasp, the frost of her Master disappearing as he moved away, Pearl groaning from the loss. Before long, an ominous laugh filled the room, the lights flickering on for the first time in centuries, the sudden brightness making her flinch.

It was rare for Pearl to ever actually see her Master, so just like any other occasion, she gasped at the sight. His Authority uniform fit him like a glove, crisp and clean like every uniform should be. His long, cape-like cloak covered one of his arms, the effect making him appear regal and powerful. She dared to look up at his face, eternally clad in his fitted, armoured mask, the metal and cloth moving with every change in his expression. Her Master walked forward and softly cupped her chin in his hand, her eyes closing in lust as she imagined the power contained in each finger.

"For 20,000 years," Her Master began, "I have searched for the traitor Diamond. Now, victory is finally in sight." He let go of her, turning his back to her as he gazed out of a nearby window, the empty void of space the only thing in sight. "Have the pilot set a course to abandoned Gem Colony-Earth. There's an old friend of my father's that I've been meaning to pay a visit to." Pearl made to follow her Master's orders, but was stopped by his voice. "And Pearl? Once you've finished, you are to return to me. I believe that you are in need of a… Reward." With that, the Black Diamond finished, looking back to the window.

"Yes, my Master." Pearl bowed, leaving the chamber on shaky legs and running to the Bridge as fast as she could. Along the way, the Gem does her best to hide the excited smile on her face as she imagined the numerous ways that her Master could reward her. Entering the Bridge and walking towards the pilot, Pearl had only one thought on her mind.

'I love my Master.'

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N-** I don't know if I have ever described my draft journals, so I wouldn't expect anyone to find the posthumous tribute that I added, so I'll do that now:

 **Journal 1-** One Subject, Wide-Ruled, Purple Cover, Black Inked **1**

 **Journal 2-** Three Subject, College-Ruled, Blue Cover, Black Inked **2**

 **Journal 3-** Three Subject, College-Ruled, Red Cover, Black Inked **3**

 **Journal 4-** One Subject, College-Ruled, Yellow Cover, Black Inked **4 (The Journal that I lost, now recreated in the story as Logan Mercer's 4th Investigative Journal)**

 **Journal 5-** One Subject, College-Ruled, Green Cover, Black Inked **5**

On last thing, and this might not be for everyone. For those of you interested in smut, a close friend of mine has asked my permission to create a series of smutty oneshots based upon my chapters. Keeping with my Fallout-based username, she has created her own account named Sole Aroused Survivor. If you're into that kind of stuff, then go check it out. If not, then at least we have one thing in common.


	24. Jasper Vs The Homeworld

**A/N-** Not too much to say, here, other than that I have a special surprise that I'm working on for **Vampire Tails** in regards to the Ancient Geminiods story arc.

 **Jasper Vs. The Homeworld**

Logan Isaac Mercer Sr. walked over to the old barn, cursing his old age as his back started to bother him again. As he neared the wooden building, he could hear the rhythmic thuds coming from inside.

Old Man Logan opened the barn doors, his eyes focusing on the large, muscular orange woman furiously striking the equally large punching bag that was swinging wildly with each strike. He made his way up to her, gently placing a hand her bicep to catch her attention.

Jasper stopped her training, looking down at the fragile human beside her.

"I, uh…" Logan started, his gruff, scratchy voice a sharp contrast to his soft, kind eyes, "The old lady and I, we have to take into town for some groceries… Do you think you could just keep an eye on Tammy while we're out?"

The Gem grunted, taking the punching bag down from where she had secured it to one of the support beams.

"Thank you, Jasper." The old man said.

"Don't thank me, human." She growled at him, "You have nothing to be thankful for. Just remember what I told you."

"Yes, yes, I remember. I'm not _that_ old." He said, chuckling softly as he left the barn.

A few minutes later, the Gem warrior followed him, making her way to the old, yet surprisingly well cared for, farmhouse, set on the top of a large hill nearby. As she walked, she thought back to the events that had landed her here in the first place.

After months and months of endless struggling, Jasper had finally managed to separate herself from Lazuli. Once she managed to return to the mainland, however, she was far too damaged to travel any further than that and, against her best wishes, was forced to retreat into her Gemstone in the middle of enemy territory, praying that she would remain undetected.

But as it would seem, the planet Earth refused to pull any punches. While she regenerated, an 8-year-old human girl had been visiting the beach with an elderly couple, and had found a very pretty "rock", taking it home with her. You could imagine the humans' surprise when a giant, orange, feral-looking woman suddenly emerged from the orange stone.

After the ensuing screams of rage from Jasper, the three humans introduced themselves as Logan Mercer Sr., Junie Mercer, and little Tammy Murdock, Logan's only great-grandchild, orphaned by a tragically severe case of the flu.

Despite the Gem's passionate hatred of both the Earth and its inhabitants, she refused to leave the humans. "Don't think it's because I don't hate you, because I do." She had told them, "As much as I want crush you, you- Whether I like it or not- Kept my Gemstone safe while I was regenerating. To my people, that is one of the most respected and dignified actions in existence. To not repay such a debt would be the ultimate disgrace, and would leave a permanent stain on my honour. So… I will provide you with my assistance until my debt has been repaid."

The next day, Jasper was sent out into the fields, harvesting many strange objects like "corn", "tomatoes", "wheat", and "potatoes". That night, the humans had managed to persuade the Gem to eat a meal that consisted of the objects that she had gathered. Once the sun had set, and Jasper was doing push ups in the barn, she suddenly realized that, by accepting the food from the humans, she had all but reset her debt back to where it was before she had done any work.

Growling in frustration at her own stupidity, she impatiently waited for the sun to rise so she can be given new orders. That day progressed much like the previous one, working most of the day and accepting another meal. Despite her refusals, the old woman insisted that she eat something. Just as Jasper's anger was about to snap, she thought she saw something in the human's eyes. The Gem couldn't tell what it was, or why she thought it seemed familiar, but whatever it was, it made a warm feeling wash over her. Grumbling, Jasper accepted the meal.

The third day ended the same, as did the fourth, the fifth, and every other day after that. No matter how hard she tried to resist, she couldn't stop herself from being weak enough to accept whatever it was she was offered.

Jasper was brought back to the present when she opened the door to the farmhouse, her eyes landing on the little girl who was sitting on the couch, a small notepad in her hands. Tammy didn't look up as Jasper sat down in the large recliner off in the corner, the child too absorbed in whatever she was writing to notice the orange woman.

Eventually, Jasper grew bored. "Kid," She said, grabbing Tammy's attention, "What in Yellow Diamond's name are you doing?"

"I'm writing some interview questions for when Uncle Logan gets here!" She answered excitedly, a wide, missing-toothed smile on her face.

Jasper remembered now, how the old woman had told her that her grandson, Logan Isaac Mercer III, would be visiting the farm. According to them, this "Other Logan" was something called an "Investigative Journalist", which apparently means that he asks people far too many questions than he should, finds out which ones are lying, and gets into WAY too much trouble in the process.

From what Junie had told the Gem, the other Logan was very good at doing this, even being at the very center of an international scandal. To Jasper, none of this mattered, but Tammy seemed to idolize her uncle, writing many imaginary interviews, interrogating her cotton-filled animal toys, and reading the newspaper as best as she can (Once her great-grandfather was finished with it, of course).

"The older humans left." Jasper said bluntly, "I was ordered to watch over you until they've returned."

"Okey dokey lokey!" The girl said brightly, the strange sentence making the Gem raise an eyebrow.

"I see that you're still saying that, aren't you?" A male voice- One that Jasper hasn't heard before- Spoke up from the kitchen, apparently having snuck around the building without anyone noticing.

"Uncle Logan!" Tammy exclaimed, jumping off of the couch and hugging the man, who Jasper now knew to be the other Logan. The man looked up at the Gem, his expression changing to one of surprise, then to fear, before finally settling on a look that was all too familiar to Jasper.

'We'll talk later.' His face said, the warrior nodding to him as a barrel of bad memories suddenly returned to her. The most prominent of them was the face of Yellow Diamond, looking down upon her prized General in visible disappointment and perfectly contained rage, her expression almost exactly that of Logan's right now. Off to the side, Jasper could still see Black Diamond, High Commander of the Diamond Authority and Warmaster of the Gem Homeworld, his arms crossed in satisfaction with her failure to reclaim Earth. Although she never saw his face, eternally concealed by his armoured mask as it were, Jasper always _knew_ that his lips were twisted into a smug smile.

As the three of them waited for Logan Sr. and Junie to return from town, Jasper sat and listened to Tammy interview the newcomer, who seemed to have been expecting such a ridiculous charade.

"What's your favorite color?" Tammy asked.

"Purple."

"What's your favorite animal?"

"Grizzly bear."

"What's your favorite book?"

"The Book Thief."

"What's your favorite movie?"

"It's a tie between 'Mad Max: Fury Road', 'Avengers: Age of Ultron', and 'American Sniper'."

The interview continued like this for another hour, the little girl asking the man what his various "favorites" were. Jasper wasn't even sure Tammy had asked all of the questions that she had wanted, as the interview was interrupted by the return of Logan Sr. and Junie, the latter of whom began to herd everyone into the kitchen to help with dinner.

The Gem was silent throughout the meal, doing her best to tune out the conversations around her. Towards the end of dinner, however, the younger Logan- Who insisted they refer to him as just 'Mercer' to avoid confusion- Caught Jasper's attention when he began talking about his time in the military. "You were a soldier?" She asked him through a mouthful of food.

"Yep. United States Marine Corps. I'm retired now, what with losing my leg and all, but I was one of the best snipers there's ever been. Of course, I still couldn't hold a candle to The Legend, but he's on a level all of his own, so that's not a big deal."

"How have you managed to stay hidden for so long?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mercer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You've abandoned the army." Jasper explained, "How have you managed to stay hidden for so long? Surely once they find you, you'll be punished severely?"

"I'm not sure how it works back on Homew- Wherever it is you're from, Jasper, but on Earth, you can be relieved from duty if you sustain a crippling injury. I lost my leg in combat, while I was fighting for my country. Nothing is seen as more honourable than that."

Jasper thought about how absolutely stupid this was; If a soldier can fight, then they should fight, regardless of any injury they sustain. To _reward_ those who have allowed themselves to be bested by their opponents, it… It DISGUSTS her!

To stop herself from saying something that might tarnish her honour any more than she already has, she stands up and walks away from the table, stomping back towards the barn. Slamming the large red doors, she quickly sets up her punching bag and begins to viciously attack it, her teeth grinding together in anger.

She hated this planet. She hated this species. She hated Lazuli for trapping her on this miserable rock. She hated that Peridot for running away like a coward, abandoning her and returning to Homeworld. Jasper grew even angrier, thinking about how Yellow Diamond is probably praising the peridot for gathering such precious information on the status of Rose Quartz and her dishonourable rebels.

All at once, a burning, all-consuming fury washed over her as she thought about Yellow Diamond using that peridot- A mere PERIDOT- To finally prove to Black Diamond that his own soldiers have been bested by those of another Diamond! Jasper's work, her honour, her glory- Everything that she has devoted her entire existence to!- It will all be destroyed by the actions of Rose Quartz and her filthy traitors!

"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori."

Jasper stops attacking the punching bag. Turning her eyes to the source of the voice she had heard.

"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori." Mercer repeated, staring straight into the Gem's eyes.

"What in Yellow Diamond's name does that mean?" She growled angrily.

"It's an old Latin saying. It means, 'It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country'. Although in your case, you would only accept dying for Homeworld, wouldn't you?" He asked.

Something didn't seem right to Jasper. "How do you know that my planet is called Homeworld?" She asked.

"Because it's my job." Mercer answered, walking closer to the giantess.

"It's your job to know the name of my planet?"

"Oh, I know much more than that." The human said, a small smile on his face. "I know that your official designation is Jasper-C13PT Facet 7. I know that this isn't your first time on Earth. I know that you hold the successful outcome of your missions higher than your so-called principles."

With every sentence he said, Mercer took a step closer, and with every sentence, Jasper felt the feeling of uneasiness within her grow larger and larger. "No. It's not your job to know these things, someone told you this! Who?!" She demanded.

"Oh, calm down, you big buff cheese puff." He said.

Jasper's eyes widened. "That name… Amethyst!" The orange woman growled, "Rose Quartz and her traitors sent you!"

"No, I was invited here by my grandparents. I was not expecting you to be here, although you should be glad that I found you before someone else did."

"What possible reason would I have to be glad?" Jasper sneered.

"Because if another human were to find you, and were to realize that you planned to kill every single human on this planet, I don't think they'd be quite as… Forgiving…"

Begrudgingly, Jasper had to admit that he was right. "What do you want from me? Secrets? Revenge?"

"I want history." Mercer answered simply.

"You already seem to know a lot about me. How would you benefit from knowing my history?"

"Oh, I don't want to know about _your_ history…" The human chuckled, before every ounce of emotion suddenly vanished from his face.

"Tell me about the Black Diamond…" He ordered.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N-** And that's the chapter! Hopefully, I kept Jasper in character, but if you see anything that I got wrong, send me a PM telling me what it was, so that I can improve my writing. Now, I don't know if anybody has noticed, but if you look carefully, you might see a little bit of error in the timeline of this chapter- Why would Logan ask Jasper about Black Diamond if Peridot has already given him and Steven all of the information that they needed? Well, that is because this chapter takes place DURING the chapter, "Beta Testing". The next chapter will also take place before this one, as I'm experimenting with writing in a backwards timeline. Stay tuned for the next chapter, "Stahlrim's Regrets", and remember to read and review!


	25. Stahlrim's Regrets

**Vampire Tails-** Guess who's back!

 **Stahlrim's** **Regrets**

The escort ship landed softly on the snowy mountaintop, its engines unable to be heard over the sound of the howling wind. The ramp lowered with a hiss, the dull, synchronized sound of marching footsteps moving away from the ship and towards the archaic structure before them. Once the order was given, the soldiers burst through the large stone doors and stormed into the cathedral, weapons ready to attack at a moment's notice.

Black Diamond walked into the Crystal Monastery, his hands folded behind his back, his Pearl and his Peridot following close behind him. Just like their Diamond, both Gems had a grey appearance, black uniforms, and a rigid posture. The High Commander kept his eyes forward, focusing on his target, who was kneeling before a dark magenta altar, carved from- What appeared to be- Pure crystals.

"High Commander Black Diamond," The Ancient Father Stahlrim said, not turning to face the mentioned Gem, "I have been expecting your visit for quite some time."

"Where is the Pink Diamond?" Black Diamond demanded, having no interest in idle conversations.

"I do not know, High Commander." Stahlrim answered politely.

The Diamond stormed forward pass the priest and forcefully knocked over the altar. The crystal item fell to the ground and shattered. "Where is the Pink Diamond?!" He screamed, 20,000 years of rage and frustration finally revealing itself as a destructive outburst.

"I told you, I do not know." Father Stahlrim repeated, his calm aura not at all affected by Black Diamond's hateful energy.

"You sheltered Pink Diamond!" Black Diamond yelled, "She came to you, bringing with her Rose Quartz and stealing White Diamond pearl! Tell me where she is!"

"I can see that Mercury really did personally design you…" Stahlrim sighed, "You have his anger… His rage… Even his ignorance…"

Black Diamond suddenly became unnervingly calm, his gaze turned upwards towards the stain-glass mosaic of the Goddess Crystal. "Tell me, Father Stahlrim… Does Crystal grant forgiveness?"

"No." The Ancient answered, "Crystal does not grant forgiveness, although she may reward it to those deems worthy."

"How hard," Black Diamond started, "Would you have to work to be forgiven for allowing the Crystal Monastery to be destroyed?"

Stahlrim thought for a moment, before shrugging his shoulders. "That is not within my power to decide."

"Is it not within _your_ power? _You_ , the Ancient Father Stahlrim? The last remaining follower of the Church of Crystal? The Ancient Geminoid who, as legends say, is the wielder of the Purge Stone, the mysterious jewel said to be the only physical remnant of Crystal Herself, rumoured with the ability to give life to whatever inanimate object it pleases, and take away life for whatever it sees as unworthy?!" His voice had grown louder towards the end of his speech, but he quickly got it under control.

"I am not the last of the Church of Crystal. I have recruited two new souls to serve Her Clarity." The Ancient countered.

"Nonetheless, I give you the chance to restore your Goddess to Her former glory. Hand over the Pink Diamond, and your honour will be restored."

"I will not accept your deal, High Commander." Father Stahlrim said with finality.

"Then your Monastery shall be destroyed." Black Diamond declared, straightening his back and turning to the peridot. "Take us back to the Geode, and prepare an orbital bombardment on these coordinates. I want this structure reduced to nothing but ash." He order.

"Yes, my Lord." Peridot nodded, using her limb enhancers to create a holographic screen and beginning to program the attack.

Black Diamond and his party left the Crystal Monastery, taking the escort ship back to his Command Vessel in orbit. Once the giant stone doors had swung shut, Father Stahlrim sighed deeply. As he picked up the pieces of the crystal altar, he felt a comforting hand fall on his shoulder, squeezing softly.

"I'm sorry, Father Stahlrim." A deep voice said from behind him, "This is all my fault."

"This is true, Brother Mercury, but the time for blame has long since passed. Now is the time for action." Stahlrim stood up, turning to face his second and newest Crystal Acolyte. The Ancient Mercury, former High Commander of the Ancient Geminoids, now attempting to do right by the mistakes that he has made, swallowing his pride and devoting himself to the Church.

"Are you suggesting that we fight?"

"No. The strictest rule in the Church of Crystal: Do. No. Harm." The priest said sternly, sounding as though he was scolding a small child. "But, there are followers of Her Clarity who must break this rule, and for that, i do not blame them. As much as it disgusts me to even think, conflict and strife are inevitable. They are a force of nature, like the very blizzard that rages outside of these walls as we speak. That is why the Earth has both myself, as well as the Crystal Gems: The warriors who are willing to fall from grace, and the priest who ensures that they never fall too far, as to be unable to be saved from the darkness."

"Then what do we do?!" Mercury asked impatiently, his old personality beginning to break through his newer, calmer appearance.

"First… I suggest we get off of this mountain before the High Commander up there takes us out along with the Monastery." Stahlrim answered, far too calm for their current situation.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

A few hours later, Father Stahlrim and Brother Mercury found themselves sitting in a cozy little tavern located at the very base of Mount Everest. At first, the villagers were confused at the sight of them, and not because they were aliens, as Mercury had originally believed. No, Father Stahlrim had told his story to the humans who had originally founded the village, and the old priest took a trip down the mountain every once in a generation to take a short walk before returning to his meditations.

No, they were confused, Stahlrim said, because of the strange reflective man who wore robes similar to Stahlrim's. After he had introduced his second Crystal Acolyte to the villagers, they seemed to understand, and began to show Mercury just as much hospitality as they showed "The First Founder", the name they gave to the one who lived in the area long before humans had.

Now, the priest and the acolyte were sitting in the cozy little tavern, Mercury impatiently tapping his fingers against the wooden table as Stahlrim took his time to enjoy a hot cup of tea. Finally, Stahlrim spoke up, his words audible throughout the tavern, as the few humans in attendance were remaining silent as a sign of respect. Despite that, they couldn't help but look over as the Ancient spoke.

"We need to get into contact with Brother Spinel." He said, "Biologically, you and I cannot use the Gem Warp Pads to travel, so we will have to take the long way around, but our situation is far too dire to wait any longer than we have to."

"So what would calling this 'Brother Spinel' do to help us?"

"While we travel, Brother Spinel will do what he deems as necessary to begin to collect and gather information regarding the Black Diamond. Not only is he silent and subtle in his every task, he will not allow his emotions and experiences to get in the way of his mission, all without raising any unnecessary suspicion."

"Why didn't you tell me that a third Ancient Geminoid survived the Creation War?" Mercury asked.

"What makes you think that Brother Spinel is an Ancient?" Stahlrim countered with a knowing smirk, "Faith is not unique to a species, Mercury, and while Spinel did not have the best intentions when he first arrived at the Crystal Monastery, he, much like yourself, has been making great strides in the reformation process."

"We're getting off topic, Stahlrim." Mercury said, "We don't have time to chat idly. Get into contact with Brother Spinel, we need to get moving."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Logan Mercer unlocked the door to his apartment, dragging his green duffle bag through the door and kicking it shut. He tiredly tossed the bag onto his couch, but was too tired to make the bag do anything other than fall to the ground. The soldier ignores this, falling onto the couch with a deep, long sigh. He had just returned to Beach City after a longer-than-expected visit to Paris, France, where his old friend Naomi had asked him to investigate some strange Gem-like activities.

"Doctor Mercer." A strange, distorted voice spoke up, scaring the living daylights out of the soldier, who frantically looked around his house while yelling every bit of profanity that he could think of.

"Doctor Mercer, your talents are required." A tall man stepped out of seemingly nowhere, moving towards Mercer. He wore armour that seemed to look more like cloth, but Mercer noticed that some pieces seemed to be strangely rigid and moved less when the stranger moved. The soldier tried to look at his face, but a short masked covered his lower face, and the hood that he wore cast the rest of his face in shadows.

"Doctor Mercer, Father Stahlrim has tasked me with obtaining information. You possess talents that would be of great benefit to me. You will come."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N-** Hey Fanfiction Rewritten, I hope you saw the tiniest bit of development at the very end in regards to our collaboration.

Quick little announcement, but I have founded a clan on Clash of Clans, called **Wanderers.** My username is **Canaan Rooks** , so come and join the fun! :D


	26. The Hangover

**Trigger Warning!-** This chapter contains graphic violence, so continue at your own risk!

 **The** **Hangover**

Slag knew something was off.

The raider stood up, grabbing his gun and walking away from his bedroll, looking around the large concrete room. Despite how creepy this place was, Slag knew he was lucky to have found a place in the gang of raiders and bandits at the Corvega Assembly Plant. There was plenty of food and booze to go around, the scaffolding on the roof was a perfect lookout for snipers, and the turrets were more than enough to keep the ghouls from taking over the basement.

But as Slag held his pipe rifle ready to fire, he couldn't shake away the feeling that something was wrong. Moving through the factory, the raider couldn't find anything that should worry him… Other than the fact that he couldn't seem to find any of the other raiders, not even the junkies they kept around to laugh at. Moving closer to the entrance of the factory, he could hear gunfire- Lots of it. He could hear that even the turrets had been reprogrammed to fire continuously, instead of their usual 10-second burst before relocking into another target. Once he figured this out, Slag was now certain that something was going wrong, as the few ex-Rust Devils in their gang only reprogrammed the turrets when another group of Super Mutants decided that they _really_ wanted the factory.

Just as Slag was about to open the door to help his gang, he heard the sound of explosions and pain-filled screams before absolute silence. After a long moment, loud, metallic thud, thud, thuds began to grow closer. Slag took a few steps backwards before bumping into another raider. A quick glance behind him showed that he wasn't the only one woken up,as the rest of the raiders he bunked with had grabbed their weapons and followed him through the factory.

He looked back to the doors, slowly creeping forward, trying with all of his might to calm his shaking hands and steady his rifle. When he was a few yards from the door, the loud thuds suddenly disappeared. The silence that remained was deafening, Slag's heartbeat pounding in his ears.

Without warning, the metal door was breached, flying off of its hinges so fast that Slag just barely dropped to the floor to avoid it. The woman behind him wasn't so lucky, the door striking her so fast that it didn't even slow down. Both the door and the woman came to a neck-jarring stop when the door crushed her against the concrete wall with a sickening, wet-sounding SPLAT! Scrambling to his feet, he and the remaining raiders open fired on the intruder, who merely stood in the doorway as their bullets ricocheted off of the enemy's thick Power Armour.

Slag's pipe rifle began to click-click-click as the magazine ran empty. He fumbled with a fresh magazine, and while he was looking at the rifle held in his shaking fingers, the figure began charging forwards towards a raider to his left. Slag ran up the steps to the catwalks, hoping to put some distance between himself and the figure, who, upon reaching the raider he had targeted, knocked the man to the side with the force of a freight train. The armoured figure didn't even break their stride, continuing their charge, crashing into car frames and destroying the assembly lines.

Reaching the top of the catwalks, Slag finally managed to reload his rifle, aiming down at the figure and resuming fire. A third raider stepped out from around a nearby corner, firing a missile from a missile launcher that must have been left behind by their leader. The explosive struck the intruder's right arm, but when the smoke cleared, the giant robot seemed completely unfazed, the fiery attack having been completely absorbed by the X-01 armour. It stopped moving, slowly turning to face the man who began to tremble in fear, the blood draining from his face as the robot's eyes shone a bright spotlight onto him.

It gave a terrific roar- Like the bellow of a whale, an Old World sea creature Slag's mother had told him about as a child. The figure charged forward again, chasing after the screaming raider that had dared to attack it. The man was caught within seconds, slammed to the ground as the robot stepped on his legs, the bones breaking and shattering so loudly that Slag could hear the stomach-churning CRACK! over the deafening screams from the poor man, blood filling his throat as he began to gurgle through his sobs. Bending forward, Slag watched as the figure grabbed the sobbing raider's shoulders, pulling them and- To Slag's disgust- Ripped the man in half at the waist, the upper body flying into a nearby wall and falling to the ground with an echoing smack.

Slag couldn't stop himself from emptying his stomach, his vomit falling through the metal grates of the catwalk and splattering onto the floor far below. The sound of his retching caught the robot's attention, who began to slowly stomp towards the stairs to the catwalk, its eyes never looking away from Slag, constantly shining the spotlight on him. The raider could do nothing but gag and heave as he emptied his bowels, fear- Pure, unadulterated terror- Gripping him so tightly that he lost complete control over his body.

Just as the robot raised its leg to climb the first step, a Super Mutant appeared from seemingly nowhere, tackling the suit of Power Armour. The force of the tackle, combined with the robot essentially standing on one leg, was enough for the giant tank to be knocked to the ground. The Super Mutant didn't waste any time, roaring with a violent rage as he begins to pummel the robot into the ground, barely affected by the metal fists that would occasionally strike his chest or stomach.

"That's it strong!" Slag heard a high-pitched voice call out, "Just like that! Aim for the head and chest! Short out its targeting matrix!"

The owner of the voice revealed themselves as a short blonde woman wearing a blue and yellow jumpsuit ran into view, coming to a halt just a few feet away from the destructive melee. She raised her left arm, toying with a strange device clasped around her forearm. After a few minutes, an electronic tone echoed from within the Power Armour as it slowly stopped moving, the Super Mutant climbing off of the robot with a victorious grunt.

Mumbling to herself, the woman removed the Power Armour Helmet from the Power Armour Frame, flipping open a small panel on the back of the helmet and poking around at the circuitry. "I think I figured out what the problem was, Big Fella." The woman said, not looking away as she removed a smoking computer chip.

"Metal man is traitor!" The Super Mutant declared in his loud voice.

"What? No! There was a faulty wire in the targeting matrix that kept drawing power to the helmet even after the rest of the suit was deactivated. The power caused the targeting matrix to overheat and fuse with the internal database, which must have somehow sent an activation code and sent the suit to eliminate hostile targets." The woman explained.

The Mutant stared at her dumbly, before yelling, "Metal man is still traitor to Strong!"

The woman gave a tired sigh, turning to look up at Slag. "Hey, Peridot, now might be a good time to wake up. You know, before you forget your amazing new idea."

"What?" Slag called down, "I don't know what yo-"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Peridot sat up so fast that the empty bags of chips, drained soda cans and the various other types of junk food wrappers that had covered her sleeping body like a blanket went flying to the ground. The Gem looked around as her groggy mind tried to figure out what was going on. After a few moments, she recognised her surroundings as Logan Mercer's apartment, although the living space was a complete mess, with pizza boxes and soda cans scattered everywhere.

Still drowsy, Peridot stood up, stretching her arms as she tried to figure out what had happened the night before. She groggily walked over to the kitchen, walking pass a still-sleeping Steven and Connie, the two children cuddled up together on a blanket on the floor, both with a happy smile on their faces. Once in the kitchen, she was greeted with Mercer standing by the coffee machine, looking back at his notes for his next investigation while drinking a cup of coffee.

"What happened last night?" The Gem asked the human, accepting the small cup of tea that was handed to her.

"Well, once we finished watching the 'Mad Max' movies, Steven insisted that you and I show him why we're so interested in Fallout 4. All five of us ended up trying to play the new Far Harbour missions using the improved survival mode, and we kind of just… Let loose."

"Yeah…" Peridot said with a soft smile, before frowning. "Wait, five of us?"

"Amethyst is still asleep in my room." Mercer responded, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the hallway.

The Gem nodded her head with a quiet sound of remembrance, taking a sip of her tea before walking back into the living room, returning to the kitchen after grabbing her satchel bag. Taking out her notepad, she began to rapidly scribble calculations in very small handwriting, catching the soldier's attention.

"I had a dream last night." She told him when he asked, "It was very strange, and I wish not to disinterest you with the specifics. However, one result of the dream was the idea of integrating a control program that would allow my robots to operate independently of a pilot."

"So…" Mercer took a second to understand what she had just said, "It engages hostiles by itself?"

"Affirmative, and thanks to what I have observed in the Fallout series, I have also designed a theoretical prototype of a fusion core to use as an improved power source."

"Woah woah woah, are you sure that's a good idea?" Mercer asked her with some concern, "I mean, if you're basing your prototype off of the science in the game, then you know how dangerous those things can be."

"Your concern, while appreciated, is unnecessary. Garnet accompanied me back to the Galaxy Warp some time ago, where I was successful in salvaging a few of my flask robonoids. I intend to use them to test my prototypes while I observe from a safe distance."

"Well, alright then. If you know what you're doing…"

"Don't worry, Mercer. I am positive in my calculations, and whenever I design something that can have side effects as dangerous as this, I always send a copy of my calculations to Professor Stephen Hawkings, just in case he sees something that I have not."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N-** Hey everybody! This chapter was a sort of way for me to test my abilities when it comes to writing actual violence, something far more graphic than the fight between Peridot and Mercury. I've been mulling over the idea of writing a story based on Fallout 4, which, if you didn't know by now, I am a HUGE fan of. Leave a review about what you thought about this chapter, and whether or not I should go forward with the Fallout story.

Remember to come and check out the Clan! I've actually changed my username to **LoneEWanderer** , and the Clan is titled **Wanderers**.

One last note- I have a oneshot almost ready to be typed, and it would explore the events of the impending war in a darker, more hopeless manner. There will be death. There will be blood. I intend to post the oneshot soon after I post this chapter, so please check it out and tell me what you think.


	27. Visitors I: The Messenger

**A/N-** Part 1 of the 3-Part special, **The Visitor** , so I hope you enjoy! Sorry for the shorter chapter. This was originally only 2 parts, but I split this one into two chapters, as it was **REALLY** long. Please leave a review when you're finished, as I have been getting hundreds upon hundreds of views, but very little reviews. Your feedback makes me want to update faster!

 **The** **Messenger**

"Peridot, I'm going to ask you a question, and you're going to answer it. If you don't, I'm going to chain you to the ocean floor. Do you understand?"

"What is your question, Lazuli?"

"HOW MANY DIAMONDS DID YOU CALL A CLOD?!" The blue Gem yelled at the smaller Gem, making the scientist shield her face in fright.

"Lapis, calm down!" Steven exclaimed, "This isn't Peridot's fault… I think…"

"Seriously?! You're taking _her_ side?!" The blue woman turned to him, "Black Diamond's personal escort ship is on its way here RIGHT NOW!"

"Steven! Garnet!" The group turned to see Connie and Amethyst running towards them, the former carrying Rose's sword over her shoulder, while the latter had a look of pure panic on her face.

"Amethyst, what's wrong?" Garnet asked as Steven let Connie lean on him while she tried to catch her breath.

"We can't find Logan!" The purple woman yelled, "We checked his house, the park, the beach, _and_ John's house, but nobody has seen Logan in weeks!"

"What do you mean, Amethyst?" Steven spoke up.

"He told me that he'd been hired for an extremely dangerous investigation, and that he wouldn't bring his cellphone in case people tried to track him. At first he would call from a different phone once a day to tell me that he's safe, but I haven't heard from him in days!" At this point, Amethyst had dissolved into a full panic, and would most likely be hyperventilating if she had had lungs.

"Can somebody calm her down!" Pearl said, summoning her spear, "I can see the ship!"

The rest of the Crystal Gems followed her gaze, watching as the ship descended towards them. They all summoned their weapons, with Peridot choosing to replicate Steven's shield. Landing on the sandy beach, the ramp began to lower with a hiss, the Crystal Gems tightening their grips on their respective weapons. But, instead of the Black Diamond stepping into view, a smaller hooded woman started down the steps, a platoon of odd looking Rubies following her.

Stepping on to the beach, the woman lowered her hood, the face of the Black Pearl squinting at them in the bright light of the sun. Eyes coming into focus, she stared blankly at the Crystal Gems. "Which of you is the Rose Quartz?" She asked, her voice cold and devoid of emotion.

"None of us." Garnet answered, moving to the front of the group.

"Our scanners are in need of a recalibration, but it has been confirmed that the Rose Quartz Gemstone is present on this planet, as well as still being fully operational." Black Pearl countered, her eyes narrowing, "You have been granted one more opportunity to willingly disclose the information we demand, or be faced with very… Unpleasant consequences."

A gust of wind struck them from behind followed by a loud whining sound. Everyone present turned to watch the bright pink light fade away. Pushing her way to the front of the group, Stevonnie walked up to Black Pearl, looking down at the slightly smaller Gem.

Black Pearl looked at the girl's stomach, eyeing the Gemstone embedded in her bellybutton. "You possess the Rose Quartz Gemstone, though you yourself are not the Rose Quartz." She sighed.

"What are you here for?" The Fusion asked seriously, Connie's influence prominent in the woman's tone.

"My Master, the Black Diamond, Lord Obsidian Onyx, Warmaster of the Gem Homeworld, and High Commander of the Diamond Auth-"

"Get to the point!" Amethyst screamed, 100% DONE with this guy and his ridiculously long title.

Black Pearl's eye twitched violently, inhaling deeply to watch her temper. "My Master has sent me with orders to collect the Rose Quartz. My Master would like to discuss a possible arrangement with you."

"There is nothing for us to discuss. ANY actions that Black Diamond takes will be grounds for war."

"The arrangement that will be discussed would set the ground rules for a possible treaty of peace with the Gem Homeworld, and would prove to be mutually beneficial to both species."

Stevonnie squinted her at the Black Pearl, "Why did Black Diamond send a messenger instead of coming here himself?"

"Lord Mercury, The High Commander of the Ancient Geminoids- The species that created the Modern Gems- He saw to it that my Master's very presence would prove to create a rather… Hindering aura, and he must prepare excessively if he does not want cause any environmental damage to any planet he visits." She explains, "It would be safer if he were to avoid stepping onto the Earth altogether." A look of bitterness came across her face, "The Pink Diamond had been researching possible methods of controlling this aura, but her untimely betrayal resulted in the project being abandoned."

"Steve-Onnie," Amethyst butchered the name, trying not to blow the Fusion's cover, "You know that this is a trap, right?"

"I can assure you, this is no trap." Black Pearl said, "Much like you, my Master has seen _something_ of value in this planet, and does not wish to exterminate the humans if it is not necessary."

"Why not?" Stevonnie asked, "From what I've heard, your 'Master' has a habit of completely destroying entire planets with relative ease. One would think that the Earth would be an easy target."

"My Master's reasons are his own. Now, will you accompany me?"

"Not without us, she won't!" Amethyst yelled, running forward to stand next to Stevonnie, shortly followed by the rest of the Crystal Gems.

"You shall not accompany us." Black Pearl said simply, "This is an event for leaders only. Any subordinates that are allowed to interfere with the discussions could influence the outcome. My Master has given his word that she will be allowed to return, and that, unless she poses an immediate threat, no harm shall come to her."

"Your Master's word doesn't mean jack sh-"

"Fine." Garnet's agreement interrupted Amethyst's argument, causing Pearl to gasp in shock. "Black Diamond, since his original creation by the Ancients, has never once gone back on his word." The Permafusion continued before the pale Gem could say anything, "This is a part of his code of honour, and he centers his entire existence around this code. If he says she'll return, then he wouldn't hesitate to shatter any of his soldiers that so much as _thought_ to threaten her. She'll be fine."

Both Stevonnie and the Black Pearl shared a look, before the grey woman began to lead the Fusion up the ramp of the escort ship, soon followed one by one as each Ruby left the beach. As the Crystal Gems watched the ship disappear above the clouds, Lapis began to look around before asking, "Hey, uh… Where's Peridot?"

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N-** Remember to leave a review! Also, go and check out QueenJessa on Twitter at **StyleEqualsLife** for some **Absolutely Breathtaking** Cosplay of Lapis Lazuli.

I have a few chapters of a **Left 4 Dead** story written, and I'm really interested in posting it. Here's the summary that I've come up with:

 **In the zombie apocalypse, you'd expect the survivors to be soldiers, hunters, and maybe the occasional conspiracy nut. You definitely wouldn't expect an alcoholic tightrope walker with a coin fetish. Don't worry, Evan isn't happy about it either.**

See you soon!


	28. Visitors II: The Geode

**A/N-** Here's part 2 of the 3-Part special, **The Visitor**! I have some more history and theories for you, my lovelies!

 **The** **Geode**

Stevonnie sat in- What she assumed to be- The co-pilot's chair, a dark colored Peridot sitting next to her, ash-colored hair shaved into a military buzz cut, their face still as a statue as they piloted the escort ship with the help of their limb enhancers. The Black Pearl stood behind them, one hand on each headrest as the creepy Rubies sat on the benches towards the rear.

"I will admit to you, Stevonnie Quartz," Black Pearl began, the mentioned woman turning her head to look at the speaker, "That I found it a… Pleasant experience, to interact with my lost sister after so many millennia apart."

The Fusion raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

"When the Pink Diamond betrayed the Diamond Council," The Peridot spoke up from beside her, surprising Stevonnie with the unexpectedly masculine voice, "She also stole the Pearl that belonged to the White Diamond. Her presence on the Earth only adds weight to my theories."

"Theories on what?"

"That information is classified."

Stevonnie crossed her arms with a huff, pouting. She turned her gaze back to the windshield, watching as they flew closer to the Earth's moon. Her eyes widened when she saw the gigantic spaceship hiding behind the moon, barely visible in the inky shadows.

"What is that thing?" She asked in amazement, pointing at the spaceship.

"That is the Geode, the Black Diamond's personal command vessel. From there, he directs his private army that accompanies him wherever he travels. Interestingly, the Warmaster issues a 96.7546% of his commands from the frontlines, and has his operators send the commands to the appropriate Generals." Black Peridot tells her.

"Why does he have a private army?" Unbeknownst to the Gems, Connie's curious nature was becoming rather prominent, almost dangerously so.

"While my Lord Obsidian Onyx is the High Commander of the Diamond Authority, and is therefore responsible for the Gem Military in its entirety, the Diamond Council has long since come to a unanimous decision that each Diamond is permitted to have a small army that is loyal to them exclusively. Each Diamond may use their private army however they please."

"What do they use them for?"

It seemed that Stevonnie's curiosity finally crossed a line. "Do not answer that, Peridot." Black Pearl said before the technician could respond.

"Why not, Pearl?" Peridot argued, "That information is not classified, and is common knowledge on the Homeworld. There is neither a tactical advantage nor a tactical disadvantage that would result from withholding or disclosing this information."

Unable to counter the technician's argument, Pearl allowed him to continue. "The White Diamond uses his private army as the police force throughout the 5 Districts, while the Blue Diamond has her Jawhira Scholars travel to Gem Colonies and research the species that were exterminated by my Master, attempting to discover and reverse-engineer any technology that they can. Yellow Diamond has labelled her army as the Enforcers, who are tasked with ensuring that the equipment used in the colonization process are not damaged by a planet's , the Black Diamond has used his army to assemble a large task force. Every last member has an individual minimum of 5,000 years of combat experience, and even then, only the most accomplished and respected warriors are granted the rank of Elite Destroyer, handpicked by the Warmaster himself."

"Wait, you didn't say anything about Pink Diamond's army!"

"I would have assumed that the leader of the Crystal Gems would have been previously informed about the Harvesters?" Black Peridot replied, giving the Fusion an odd look, "Pink Diamond's army, labeled as the Harvesters, were tasked with the selection of Gems who were deemed to be prime test subjects.

"When Pink Diamond betrayed the Council, an estimated 93% of her entire District fled Homeworld with her, with Harvester attendance at a full 100%. The remaining 7% of her citizens were then integrated into Blue Diamond's District, while the Pink Pearl was reassigned to serve the White Diamond, a replacement for his stolen servant."

"What happened to the Gems who left?"

"When studying the Gem Shards of the Crystal Gems that were shattered in the Earth rebellion, it is believed that a large majority of the 93% that fled had eventually found their way to Earth and would later become Crystal Gems themselves, proving Black Diamond correct in believing that Pink Diamond was providing aid to Rose Quartz."

Stevonnie sat back in her seat, mulling over the new information. Looking back into Steven's memories, she could now understand why Peridot had been so afraid when he had freed her from Garnet's bubble. She believed that the Crystal Gems were the remainders of the Harvesters, and thought that she was about to become another test subject, and Stevonnie wasn't quite sure how she felt about this.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stevonnie felt a frozen wave of dread wash over her the very instant that she stepped onto the metal floor of the Geode. The Fusion couldn't suppress a shudder, a cold chill running up her spine. The more she looked around, her surroundings seemed to grow more ominous as she was lead further down the corridor, rubbing her arms as her breath turned to frost.

"I have taken the liberty of adding an abundance of oxygen to the interior atmosphere to accommodate your more organic anatomical requirements," Black Peridot told her, "Although I was denied my request to increase the temperature to more acceptable levels."

"That's f-fine." She replied, trying to keep her teeth from chattering. She looked down a hallway that branched off of the one she was walking down, gasping in shock at what she saw. Multiple Black Ruby Fusions were wrestling together, a large electronic scoreboard on one wall, keeping track of what seemed to be a tournament of sorts. That's not what caught her attention, however.

A different Fusion, one that was clearly made of two different types of Gems, stood on only two legs with their back to the corridor, four hands clasped together behind their back, watching the Rubies. Wild white hair stood out in all directions, but Stevonnie could still see the Lapis Lazuli Gemstone on the back of their neck, and when the Fusion turned to look at the foreign woman, her four eyes narrowed in suspicion, Stevonnie caught a glimpse of a rhombus-shaped Jasper Gemstone in the center of her forehead. The Fusion sneered at her, sea-green lips peeling back to reveal razor sharp teeth, before she turned back to look at the tournament.

"It's not very nice to stare, you know." Black Pearl said to her, leading her further down the first corridor.

"Who was that?!" Stevonnie asked, feeling Steven beginning to grow incredibly worried within her mind.

"That was Supreme Commander Malachite, second-in-command of the Diamond Authority." Black Peridot answered, "A semi-stable Fusion of Supreme Leader Jasper and High Proctor Lapis Lazuli."

"I thought Homeworld frowned upon Fusions of different Gems?"

"As a whole, this is true. But, the High Commander runs his District differently than the others. As long as an action has absolutely no adverse effects on your military performance, he grants complete freedom to his citizens. In fact, he has consecutively defended Malachite's position against the other Diamonds, as her Fusion actually grants her an obscene power increase."

Once again, Stevonnie found herself thinking about this, her original perception of the Black Diamond being repeatedly challenged by his policies. After a long moment of walking, the three arrived at a pair of gigantic metal doors. "This is my Master's training room." Black Pearl said, "Lord Obsidian Onyx is waiting for you inside. We have been ordered to remain in the hallway."

Walking into the room, the doors were closed behind her with a resounding clang. At the very center of the large room, Stevonnie was faced with the towering form of the Black Diamond, sitting beneath a bright floodlight. The Fusion marched fearlessly towards the giant, her head beginning to throb with pain as she was subjected to his dark aura. The Gem motioned for her to take a seat in the human-sized chair across from him, and she reluctantly did so.

"I care not at all for the traitorous Rose Quartz, so I shall not inquire as to what caused her to be reborn in your body," The Black Diamond began, "I do, however, desire to allow humanity to continue existing if it is at all possible."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N-** For those of you who might be confused, _Jawhira_ is Arabic for Gem, meaning that Blue Diamond's private army is called the Gem Scholars.

Make sure you leave a review and tell me what you thought about this chapter, as well as the new characters that I've added!


	29. Visitors III: The Warmaster

**A/N-** Alright! The third and final part to my 3-Part Special, **The Visitor**!

There is a highly important Author's Note at the end of this chapter, so please read it.

 **Reference Contest!** I've hidden a special reference inside this chapter! The first review that correctly names it will receive these wonderful prizes:

1- A free story request!

2- A sneak peak at the next chapter!

3- A personalized shout out!

 **The** **Warmaster**

"I care not at all for the traitorous Rose Quartz, so I shall not inquire as to what caused her to be reborn in your body," The Black Diamond began, "I do, however, desire to allow humanity to continue existing if it is at all possible."

"Care to explain why?" Stevonnie asked the Diamond.

"Humans possess a… unique kind of hatred. The Modern Gems have been a united species since our creation, so there are very little inner conflicts. Yet, the humans are still very much divided, fighting their civil wars and their revolutions… I would find it offensive if I were forced to exterminate such beautiful hatred."

"Do you truly expect me to believe that _you_ have a concept of beauty?" Steven said, sounding almost disgusted at the thought.

"Your opinions are your own, but I thought it necessary to test how dedicated you truly are to the protection of your Earth."

Stevonnie began to hear the sounds of a scuffle as two Black Jaspers dragged a struggling Logan Mercer into the light. The human's nose was bleeding, and a number of bruises marred his face and body, though these injuries were most likely caused by the Marine resisting his capture than by torture. They forced him onto his knees as they held him in place, Black Diamond sitting up and shape-shifting himself to be the same height as Stevonnie, giving her the perfect chance to slap him.

Which she took.

"Release him. NOW!" She demanded, her hand stinging with pain.

"I offer you a deal, Stevonnie Quartz." Black Diamond started, ignoring her attack, "If you kill this one man, I will give you my word that the Gem Homeworld will treat your species as trusted allies. If you refuse to kill this one man, you will be sentencing another 7 billion humans to a certain and unavoidable death, possibly more."

"I refuse." Stevonnie answered sternly.

The Warmaster wasn't giving up that easily. "This is a chance to finally have peace." The Diamond said, his words sparking an internal debate between the two fused children. He moved closer, removing a colorless, adamantium sword from its sheath on his hip. He walked around behind her, taking her hands and softly wrapping her fingers around the handle.

Stevonnie could feel herself crying, tears streaming down her cheeks as Connie tried desperately to make Steven understand why they had to do this. Black Diamond will destroy everything if they don't kill Mercer, but Steven couldn't bear the thought of turning his back on Rose Quartz and her oath to protect every single human.

"Rose Quartz always believed that compassion was the answer to every problem she came across, you now see why she was wrong." Black Diamond spoke with a fiery passion in his voice, "Not once was she faced with a problem like the one before you. The choice is not between hatred and compassion, it never was. The choice has always been between survival and extinction!"

"Just… Do it, kid…" Stevonnie looked down as Mercer spoke up, his voice catching the attention of both Steven and Connie, "I've already… Accomplished more in 33 years… Than most people do in a… In a lifetime… You should be more worr… Worried about Amethyst than about me."

Stevonnie began shaking her head, her tears flying off of her face, trying with all of her might to keep herself together. Finally coming to a decision, the Fusion raised the sword above her head and, with an anguished scream, brought the sword down.

The sword stabbed cleanly through the floor a mere inch away from Mercer, causing Black Diamond to sigh in disappointment. Stevonnie turned to face the Warmaster, a grim determination shining brightly in her eyes as she tossed his sword back to him.

"The choice," She began, "Is not between survival and extinction, and it isn't between compassion and hatred. The choice is between doing what you feel is right, and doing nothing at all." The Fusion stepped closer to the Black Diamond, "I will never harm an innocent civilian." She declared.

"So… Compassion, then?" The Diamond asked, sounding almost depressed.

"Always…" She said with a bright smile and an airy laugh, "Always…"

With a nod of his head, the two Jaspers dropped Mercer to the ground with a thud, retreating back into the shadows behind their Master. Looking back to Stevonnie, he said, "I have given my word that you would be returned unharmed, and I intend to keep my word. But," Suddenly, and with a swiftness that Stevonnie thought impossible, Black Diamond plunged his sword through Mercer's chest, the human yelling in pain. "I never guaranteed _his_ safety…"

"NO!" She screamed, kneeling down besides him, trying to comfort him. He grunted as she moved him onto his back, trying to stop the bleeding.

"You can feel it, can't you, Stevonnie?" Black Diamond said to her in a condescending tone as she ripped off Mercer's shirt, licked her hand, and slapped it down onto his wound. Her healing spit wasn't working, leaving her hand covered in the Marine's blood. "You want to save him, you _need_ to save him, every cell of blood in your veins screaming, 'Heal, heal, heal'." He looked down at her, raising his eyebrow when she looked at him with emotion she has _never_ felt before.

Hatred.

Stevonnie _hated_ him.

For the first time in centuries, Black Diamond felt a smile tug at his lips, a morbid satisfaction at his ability to corrupt her so, but he kept his face neutral. "You can still save him, Steven Quartz Universe." He told the Fusion, once again revealing that he knew far more than she had thought. "All you have to do is say one thing, just one simple thing… 'Compassion is wrong'."

"… No…" She whispered, "I don't want to… I just can't…"

"… Very well… Understand that our species are now at war. You will face the full military might of the Modern Gems, and I will not grant mercy to any living organism on the planet Earth."

"Whether Earth wins this war or loses… I can promise you that we will not go quietly." Stevonnie declared through tightly clenched teeth.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stevonnie trudged through the corridors of the Geode, Mercer's arm thrown over her shoulder as she half dragged, half lead the wounded human to one of the escort ships. Mercer's skin was coated in a layer of cold sweat, his breathing ragged as the Fusion pleaded with him to stay awake. When they reached the ship, see sat him down on the copilot's chair and began searching her pockets.

"No, that's okay, take your time." The soldier said under his breath, his trademark cynicism still very much alive, even as he slowly bleeds out. "Yeah, no, I'm sure my body is perfectly capable of functioning on 6 pints of blood. I'm not desperate or anything."

"What's your deal?" She asked in annoyance, "Not even 10 minutes ago, you had no problem with _dying_!"

"Yeah, quickly! A swift decapitation, essentially painless! This is not what I signed up for!"

She groaned, pulling out a green Gemstone from her pocket. Setting the stone on the pilot's seat, she tapped it twice with her fingers before it began to float upwards with a bright light.

Taking her form, Peridot stretched her limbs as she groaned. "Next time that you decide to come up with a plan that involves myself," She said, sending a soft glare to the Fusion, "It would be appreciated if you were to inform me that you intended to STAB ME IN THE BACK WITH A SWORD!"

"I'm sorry!" Stevonnie's face grew red with embarrassment, "Steven and Connie needed to fuse before the Black Pearl could notice them, and there wasn't enough time to warn you!"

"LITERALLY! STABBED ME! IN THE BACK!"

"Ladies, ladies, please, you're both beautiful, now HURRY UP!" Mercer yelled at them, beginning to cough up some blood.

Pouting, Peridot activated the ship, having to stand on top of the pilot's seat to reach all of the buttons and switches she needed to use, occasionally giving an order to Stevonnie.

"I don't understand why this is so hard!" Stevonnie exclaimed, "The Black Peridot made this look super easy! He almost looked bored!"

"Escort ships are designed to be operated by two Peridots, each equipped with limb enhancers." The green woman explained when she wasn't too focused, "But the Black Diamond only accepts the most distinguished Gems into his court, meaning it only consists of himself, his Pearl, The Head of Espionage, Peridot, Supreme Commander Malachite, his Sovereign Guard Amethyst, and his two prized War Marshalls, Sapphire and Ruby. The Black Peridot is the most elite and talented out of our entire cut, and that's why all of this seemed so simple to her."

Stevonnie nodded in understanding, causing Mercer to give her a look of disbelief. "Wait, you actually understood more than half of what she just said?!"

"Steven already has a base understanding of the Gem culture, and Pearl has been giving Connie lessons while they train." Stevonnie said to him.

"… What the shit does _that_ have to do with anything?!"

The Fusion laughed at his strange use of profanity, and even Peridot couldn't help but snicker to herself.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N-** There you go! The conclusion to **The Visitor**! Please leave a review!

Now, I have some very important news.

As my devoted followers and fans may know, I write these chapters in a number of notebooks, before typing them into Google docs on my tablet. My tablet is very cheap, as well as very slow, and it's a hassle to type extended passages using it, not to mention very time consuming. Combine this with my new job, and I find myself having trouble getting you guys new chapters. So, it is with a very heavy heart, that I am placing this story on hiatus. Now, I am **NOT** abandoning this story. But, I plan on saving my money to buy a laptop, which would make uploading chapters much faster, so it would be better for you guys. All I ask is for your patience, only for a few weeks or so, and I will reward those who remain loyal. My concept of honour and loyalty is what I used to create the Black Diamond, so your loyalty means more to me than you could EVER imagine.

Thank you all for your support. I love each and every one of you.

Until I return.

Donny Ray "Don" "LoneEroticWanderer" McKinney III, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.


	30. The End of a Crystal Gem

**A/N-** The LoneEroticWanderer has returned, and with him, is chapter 30! I have finally bought my new laptop, and I'm still getting used to it, but I can type far faster than before. I hope you enjoy this new installation!

 **The** **End** **of** **a** **Crystal** **Gem**

The escort ship landed on the steaming rock, its ramp descending with a hiss as two figures stepped down from it. The Black Diamond studied his surroundings as the Black Peridot was intently focused on the holo-screens in front of him, a map of their location leading the duo to their destination. After a while of walking, they came upon a suspiciously smooth wall, which, with a nod from his Master, Peridot breached with a few explosive charges. Walking through the newly-created entrance, the two slowly traversed the hall until they came upon their target.

"So…" The Black Diamond spoke with a bored voice, " _You_ are the Bismuth that allied herself with Rose Quartz and her rebels."

" _This_ is the Black Diamond?" Bismuth said, a hint of amusement in her voice, "The Elite Destroyer? Death Himself? The Warmaster of the Gem Homeworld? Huh… I'd thought you'd be taller."

"Physique and appearances are the same as weapons: Simple tools to be utilized when necessary." The Diamond replied, "I believe in honour on the battlefield, and using a taller form would grant me an unfair advantage over you."

This time, the Crystal Gem couldn't help but laugh. "You think you fight fair?! I've seen the things that you upper crusts consider 'fair', and it's far from it!"

"Then how about I give you the advantage?" With a stomp of his foot, the locks on the stone elevator were forcibly released, the two of them riding it down to Bismuth's magma training pit. "I'll give you one chance." Black Diamond offered, widening his stance and folding his hands behind his back, "Attack me with everything you can. I won't even attempt to defend myself. I give you my word."

Bismuth, still suspicious of the Diamond but understanding his devotion to promises, jumped away from him and activated the lava flows around the room. Molten rock flooded the chamber everywhere but where she was standing and completely submerging Black Diamond. When she drained the lava, she smiled victoriously at the thick stone statue that now imprisoned the Diamond. She flooded the room again, and again, attempting to ensure that he wouldn't escape, before finally draining the room one last time. Forming her hands into her forging hammers, she charged the statue and, with a ferocious scream, slammed them into his head.

The stone crumbled beneath the force of the attack, but as the smoke cleared, Bismuth noticed two things. The first was that the stone statue had been completely destroyed.

The second, that Black Diamond had not.

The Warmaster stood in the same position as before, seeming to be completely unfazed. "A valiant effort, I will admit." He said to her, "I can see that you are truly worthy of the praise that I have heard of you. But, unless you would like to try again, I would prefer we finish this up."

"Oh, I'll show you what makes me worthy of praise!" Her Gemstone shining, Bismuth took hold of the one weapon that Rose Quartz refused to accept, the very same device that destroyed their friendship.

The Breaking Point.

Strapping it to her arm, she walked right up to the Diamond, placing the pointed tip of the weapon a hairs-width away from his Gemstone. "This is your final day, upper crust scum!" She screamed in anger, "I AM! A CRYSTAL! GEM!"

The weapon fired, but instead of punching through the Warmaster's form, Bismuth herself was pushed back a few feet. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw that the Diamond's Gemstone was still completely flawless, bearing not so much as a scratch.

But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part- The reason she felt an overwhelming hopelessness wash over her- Had nothing to do with her weapon's uselessness.

It was the very simple fact that the Black Diamond had never so much as flinched.

Swiftly, the Warmaster grabbed her arm, tearing the limb off of her body and forcing her to the ground, screaming in agony. He ignored her, choosing instead to study the weapon he now held. "Crude." Black Diamond commented, "Clunky. Far too awkward to be utilized with an appropriate amount of efficiency." He looked down at the groaning Gem, "Powerful, but overall, useless My Peridot could design a device far superior to this in a matter of seconds."

"N-No…" Bismuth grunted, bringing herself to her feet, "I… Won't l-let you…"

"As if I would authorize the use of such a dishonourable tool." The Diamond countered in disgust.

"Why… Ca-Can't I… Heal…?"

"Because _I_ harmed you. Allow me to demonstrate further." Black Diamond lashed out, clawing at the Crystal Gem and leaving deep, black gashes across her face.

She screamed, stumbling backwards as pain surged throughout her body. Black Diamond continued to inflict these small injuries upon her, but for some inexplicable reason, each wound felt as though her Gemstone was being turned inside out.

"You see, my…" Black Diamond paused for a moment, "My father… He had a very irregular sense of humor. For this reason, he granted me the ability to make it rather difficult for Gems that I infect to retreat into their Gemstones."

Bismuth rose to her feet, forming her remaining hand into a hammer. With a warrior's cry, she charged at the Diamond. Rolling his eyes behind his mask, Black Diamond shifted his fingers into sharp claws, re-positioned his feet to compensate for the arm that he was still holding, and, when Bismuth was just about to attack him, plunged his claws into her chest, wrapping his fingers around her Gemstone and bringing her charge to a sudden halt.

The Crystal Gem inhaled sharply, feeling her entire being tense up, unable to move. She struggled to speak, her mouth twitching as she slowly looked up into the mask of the Diamond.

"You believe that you can shatter the Diamonds…" He said, shaking his head sadly as he ripped her Gemstone out of her form. Bismuth fell to her knees, a pain unlike any other surging throughout her form and steadily growing worse, "But I am unlike my sisters and my brother. I will not fall to such incompetence."

Just like earlier, Bismuth found herself unable to retreat into her Gemstone, and unable to escape the pain. "J-J-Just sh-sha-shatter-ter m-me…"

Black Diamond shook his head again. "No. I want you to understand just how little you mean… You aren't even worth the effort it would take to _close my fist_ …"

The Diamond bubbled her Gemstone, finally allowing her physical form to disperse. The black bubble warped away with a flick of his wrist, materializing back in his trophy room. Black Diamond rode the elevator back up to the main chamber, took a lingering glance at the wide array of weaponry, and left the forge. As he exited the volcano, he nodded to his Peridot as he walked by, heading to the escort ship. After a few moments, he felt slight tremors shake the earth beneath his feet as Peridot detonated the charges and collapsing Bismuth's forge.

Once Peridot joined him back at the escort ship, they took off, heading back to the Geode. It wasn't until the Geode was within sight that the Diamond broke their shared silence, saying, "Pearl has informed me about some recent events back in the District. Some of these events require my direct intervention, and thus, will take me away from our operation here on Earth."

"I understand, my Master." Peridot replied, "I will begin the preparations to collect the last of my research and gather what is needed to move my-"

"You will not be accompanying me." Black Diamond interrupted him, "Only myself, Pearl, and Amethyst shall be accompanying me. Yourself, Supreme Commander Malachite, as well as War Marshalls Sapphire and Ruby shall remain her to continue our operation."

"Master?" Peridot pressed, sensing that there was more to this conversation.

"After much thought, the Supreme Commander and I have decided that you are finally ready for your Sinov."

The technician's eyes widened, gratitude flowing through his entire form. "Are you sure, Lord Obsidian?"

"If I wasn't, we would not be having this conversation. Until I return, I am placing you in charge of our operation. The only one who would be authorized to counter your commands would be Malachite, but only if the circumstances become dire enough."

"I understand, my Master. I will not disappoint you."

"I know that you won't."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **A/N-** I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please leave a review and tell me what you liked, what you didn't, and if this chapter was worth the wait!

For those of you who are interested, "Sinov" is Uzbek for "Test".


	31. A Trip to Paris

**A/N-** In this chapter, we pick back up with Stevonnie, Peridot, and Mercer. I am also introducing a few characters in this chapter: Naomi Babineaux, who was referenced by Mercer in the chapter **Stahlrim's Regrets** , as well as some more exciting characters! :D

 **This chapter, as well as the next, is made ever greater by the fact that it's a COLLABORATION! Fanfiction author** _ **FanfictionRewritten**_ **will be helping me write these special chapters, and I will return the favor by helping him with a chapter of his story,** _ **Faster than Light.**_

 **A** **Trip** **to** **Paris**

Naomi Babineaux rode her bicycle down the beaten path, gravel and dust being kicked up as she sped towards her destination. The mocha-skinned girl could feel the camera strapped around her neck softly bouncing against the front of her denim overalls as her dark brown hair was whipped around by the wind. She forced herself to pedal faster, trying to get to the overlook in time, hoping that the sun didn't set before she could get her picture.

Suddenly, a large something flew over her head, crashing into the prairie that she was riding past. Expertly swinging her bike around, the French girl headed in the direction of the crash, straining as she peddled through the grass.

"Mon dieu!" Naomi gasped at the sight of the strange smoking object that had left a large impact crater, swiftly holding up her camera and taking several pictures. The crashed object opened a small hatch where a tall girl, a short green woman, and- To her surprise- Logan Mercer, all crawled out, landing in a pile on the ground before scrambling to their feet and running straight towards her.

"Monsieur Mercer?" Naomi asked in confusion. As the trio reached her, the two women ran past her while Mercer grabbed her hand with a quickly-spoken "Courir!" and dragged her along with them. As she was dragged along, she looked back at the strange object just in time to watch it become engulfed in a magnificent fireball. Mercer forced her to the ground as metal shrapnel flew by them, cutting paths of their own through the tall grass.

"Peridot!" Naomi heard one of the girls call out, shortly after a particularly large piece of metal flew over her. When Mercer helped her to her feet, she saw two children kneeling near the spot wear the tall girl had been, the boy cradling a green gemstone in his hands. Naomi had to help Mercer crawl over to them as she tried to figure out these rapid turn of events. The Indian girl looked at them, her eyes widening as her gaze turned to something behind them. The French woman whipped her head around just in time to see the metal rod a split-second before it made contact with her head, knocking her into unconsciousness.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Are you okay, Ms. Babineaux?" Connie asked the woman, taking the ice pack from Naomi as she sat up.

"Oui. Combien de temps ai-je sortir?" She groaned, bringing a hand to her head and gasping when she felt the sizable bump on her forehead.

"Peu de temps , Snaps. Je parie que quelques heures." Mercer answered her, surprising Connie with the elegance with which he spoke French.

"Qu'est-ce qui se passe ici?"

"Je vais tout vous expliquer plus tard, je le promets. Pour l'instant, nous avons de plus gros problèmes." Mercer turned to Connie, his expression changing to one of concern. "How did your phone call go?"

"My parents aren't exactly… Happy, with what's happened, but they were relieved when I told them that I was okay. Steven's in the kitchen talking to the rest of the Crystal Gems. He's trying to see how long it will take until they can get here."

"'How long'? I thought the Warp Pads were almost instantaneous?"

"They are, but they told him that something was wrong with the Warp Pads here in Paris."

Mercer cupped his chin in thought, his eyes landing on the small throw-pillow that laid on the coffee table, Peridot's Gemstone resting on it. "She still in there?"

"Yeah, but the damage to her form was minor, at least from what I saw. It shouldn't take much longer." As she finished speaking, the kitchen door opened.

"So..." Mercer started when Steven walked into Naomi's living room, "What did the Gems say?"

"Pearl said that it was very irresponsible of both me, Connie, and Peridot for worrying them as much as we did, Garnet told me that I would be grounded for the next 1000 years if I so much as leave this house, and Amethyst..."

"What about her?" The Marine asked, raising an eyebrow.

Steven handed the soldier his cellphone. "She's still on the line. She wants to talk to you."

Mercer visibly paled, taking the phone from the boy and moving into the next room. Steven sat down on the couch in between Connie and Naomi, the latter of which was speaking into her own cellphone in French. After a few moments passed, the front door was opened, and a tall man wearing a dark grey hoodie walked in. When he saw the two children sitting on the couch, he stared at them with an extremely uncomfortable look on his face as he sat down on the recliner across from them.

"Monsieur Spinel?" Naomi spoke up in concern, ending her phone call, "Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas? Es-tu malade?"

"Pourquoi sont-ils ici?" The man asked in a soft, shy voice, drawing his hood further around his head.

Mercer walked back into the room before she could answer, tossing Steven's phone back to him. "Alright, now that Amethyst has promised to kill me for being an idiot, let's get back to business." He turned to the French woman, barely casting a glance towards the newcomer. "Naomi, how's our investigation been going?"

"Eh bien, les rumeurs de la Gem capitaine ont-"

"In English, Babineaux!" Mercer interrupted her, "God damnit, I was abducted by aliens a few weeks ago, I only JUST got back, and I do NOT feel like translating!"

The woman shot a heated glare at him before repeating, "Well, rumours of the Gem Captian have continued to spread, but we haven't gotten any solid evidence on who might be giving her aid. Fortunately for us, Monsieur Spinel has been able to narrow down the location of the Captain."

"Alright, let's go then." Mercer bent down, beginning to collect his things when Steven stopped him.

"What?! I just told you I'm not allowed to leave!"

"Kid, you're about to join the two of the greatest journalists in the world and their pet Gem on the investigation of the century! If Garnet tries to ground you, I'll vouch for you."

"Pet Gem?" Connie asked, causing Mercer to nod his head towards the strange man wearing the hoodie.

"Steven, Connie, this is the Black Spinel." The Gem nodded his greeting. "The former Shadow Hand of the Black Diamond himself, as well as one of the three Crystal Priests. According to what he's told us, he used to be Black Diamond's top assassin, before he was sent to Earth to track down Father Stahlrim. I still don't know what happened up on that mountain top, but whatever it was, Spinel cast away his weapons as a result, and devoted himself to the Church of Crystal."

"Church of what?" Steven asked.

"It doesn't matter, kid. We have a bigger problem in the form of a Gem pirate or whatever, who is in desperate need of a history lesson."

"And what are we going to do about it?" Connie asked, eyeing the soldier suspiciously, "Because I have a feeling that you're going to try something really stupid."

"You," Mercer said, pointing a finger in her face, "Should stop listening to Pearl so much. She doesn't exactly have the best opinion of me."

"In that case, what are you planning to do?"

"Well, _we_ are going to find the Captain, and once we do, I am going to ask her, very politely, and very sternly, to please fuck off."

"How is that not doing something really stupid?!"

"It was better than his original idea." Naomi spoke up, "At first, he just wanted to throw a history textbook at her face until she left."

"That plan wouldn't have worked anyway." Mercer added, "There's no way I would've been able to throw a book hard enough for her to get the point."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Well, that could have gone better." Mercer said, his comment followed rather quickly by a grunt of pain when Naomi bashed the back of her head into his.

"Vous connard!" She growled angrily, "If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be stuck like this!" If she was able to, Naomi would have gestured to the rope that kept them restrained, tying them together, back to back, in two chairs, unable to look at each other.

"I honestly don't know what went wrong. Everything seemed to be going perfectly fine."

"Yeah, you're right, it was." Peridot said from her seat across the room, where she and Steven were tied together, "Up until the point you said that Napoleon Bonaparte was 'As French as a Spanish cow'"

"What? No I didn't! I said 'Napoleon was as French as a Spanish cow was Spanish'!"

"No you didn't, you dope!" Naomi yelled again.

"Yeah, I know." Mercer said, snickering like a five year old.

"How do you and Ms. Babineaux deal with him?" Connie asked Spinel, completely bewildered by the man's immaturity.

"Haven't you noticed that Babs and I chose to stay in Paris? I was sent to retrieve Doctor Mercer and bring him to his old journalism partner in Paris, and then provide my assistance in this investigation. After spending three days with that man as we traveled, I quickly decided that three days at a time was as much as I could deal with him. Any more and I begin to lose my sanity."

"Can we all focus, _please?_ " Naomi said, just as the doors open, their captor stepping through the doorway. The woman steps into the room, her Cavalry Sabre unsheathed. She stares at Mercer, her eyes broiling with an indescribable loathing. Giving the Sabre a well-practiced twirl with her nimble fingers, she approaches him. Wearing an 1800s French Captain's uniform and bicorne. Looking at her face, decorated with a dark blue lipstick, an off-white eyeshadow, and a grey mascara, everyone present in the room could see that she was extremely beautiful, although that beauty was currently marred by the twisted sneer she wore.

"Bonjour." The woman said, "Je suis le Capitaine Aragonite, et je serai celui qui vous oblige à incliner au puissant empereur."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**


End file.
